A Chance in Heaven
by Tanzettigirl
Summary: At the Angel Grove 10-year reunion the Rangers are shocked when Billy shows up with a new wife. Will their tale of love and loss among the stars give two former rangers a second chance at love? Billy/OC, Rocky/OC, Trini/Zach, Jason/Kat and a surprise!
1. A Day Early

Obligatory disclaimer: I own nothing of the Power Rangers nor do I know who currently owns them. Any other questions?

Introduction: I've always wanted to do a reunion story with PR, so here it is. I've tried to keep with the timeline of the show as well as possible. I've had to take a few liberties here and there but I hope I've preserved enough to make it believable.

_Okay, I'm here, now what?_

Dr. Thomas Oliver stood in the atrium of Angel Grove Regional Airport and was completely lost. He'd stepped off the plane from New York moments before and was now trying to decide where to go next. He'd arrived in Angel Grove for the reunion a day early because his travel agent said he would get a better deal. The only luggage he'd brought was a large wheeled carryon so he didn't have to go to baggage claim. His mother was expecting him, but he wasn't in a hurry to get home, the truth was, he wasn't thrilled about being there in the first place.

It had been nine years, and since then he hadn't set foot in Angel Grove, not once. It wasn't until the woman from the reunion committee called him that he even thought about coming home.

"Tommy?" A light male voice said from behind him. "Tommy is that you?"

Tommy turned and saw a tall man of Asian decent standing in front of him. His hair was cropped short but his eyes were still as bright as Tommy remembered them.

"Adam!" Tommy forced a smile. _You have to do this eventually_, he thought. "How are you?"

He stepped forward extending a hand to his old friend. Adam shook the hand, then stepped forward taking Tommy into a light one-armed hug.

"I haven't seen you in forever!" Adam said stepping back. "How have you been?"

"Good, good," Tommy said. "How are you?"

"Oh, great. Tanya is going to be so happy to see you. She took Katie to the bathroom. Where are you staying?"

"Umm, Bulkmeier's," Tommy said.

"Oh, I heard about that!" Adam said. "Can you believe Bulk and Skull became successful business men?"

"Yeah," Tommy laughed. "It's a really great place. Right on the beach. You should come down and see it, the restaurant's amazing."

"You go there a lot?"

Tommy swallowed and worked to keep his face even. "I used to, but I haven't been here for awhile. But I'm sure it's the same."

"Tommy?"

Tommy and Adam both turned to see Tanya approaching flanked by a young girl with skin the color of caramel.

"Oh, my God, hi!" Tommy didn't even try to stop the hug this time. There would be no stopping Tanya anyway.

"Hey, Tanya!" he said. He looked down at the little girl. "This must be Katie."

Tanya's hand went automatically behind the young girl, who looked to be about five or six. She had long smooth hair that draped her face like a curtain when she hid in her mother's dress.

"She's shy," Adam said quietly.

Tommy nodded. Adam and Tanya were married and had a daughter. He should have known that. Where before he hadn't wanted to move, he now felt an urgency to get away. "Well, you guys probably have a lot to take care of; I don't want to hold you up."

"No, that's fine," Adam said. "It takes forever for baggage claim to get through. Do you want to walk down with us?"

"Uh, sure," Tommy said. He had to go that way to exit anyway. The short walk wouldn't hurt him.

"So, what have you been up to?" Tanya asked as they walked.

"Uh, I'm a teacher in Riverside," he said. "Or at least I will be this fall."

"Oh that's awesome!" Tanya said. "Adam's a teacher too."

"Really?" Tommy said. "What do you teach?"

"English and Literature."

Tommy laughed. Adam had always loved to read. He looked at Tanya. "What do you do?"

"Oh my god, is that Billy?"

Tommy spun around scanning the crowd. "Where?"

"There."

Tommy looked to where Adam was pointing, but it wasn't at the crowd, it was at the shelf of a nearby gift shop displaying the latest magazines. On the top shelf were three stacks of WIRED magazine with the picture of Billy Cranston flanked by four other men, surrounding a very lifelike looking robot. The headline read "MIT Dream Team creates Medical History."

Adam picked up a copy and flipped through it. "'William Cranston and his students…' it is Billy!" He read through the article for a second then began quoting. "'the MIT assistant professor and his team of grad students won the contest sponsored by Merck Inc. to create a medical robot capable of performing simple surgical procedures without the aid of a doctor.' That is amazing!"

"Sounds like Billy," Tommy said. "I think I need a copy of that."

_Assistant Professor Cranston, known as "Pro-B" to his students, hand-picked the team of young techs from multiple backgrounds to assist on this project and, not just from among top students. _

_"I wasn't just looking for computer nerds," Cranston said. "This was a project that required creativity and personality. I needed people used to thinking outside the box."_

Kimberly Hart-Barnes sighed as she turned the page in the magazine. _That's so great, Billy. I'm so happy for you_.

She continued through the article, detailing aspects of the robot's design and the successful surgeries it had performed. When she got the end of the article there was a another picture of Billy and his companions, including the three doctors from Harvard Medical School that had been brought in to supervise, surrounding the robot, affectionately named "Scrub."

"Ma'am, we're here."

Kim looked up and almost dropped the magazine. She'd been so engrossed in the article she hadn't even felt the cab stop. "Oh," she said. "Thank you."

"Do you need help with your luggage?"

"No, I can get it." She angled out of the car door and walked around to the trunk. The driver was already there pulling her large pink suitcase out onto the sidewalk. She paid him in cash, including a generous tip, and walked into the hotel.

The lobby was bright and open, and you could see straight through the massive glass wall all the way to the beach. There were already hundreds of people milling about in the afternoon sun. Kim pulled her suitcase to the front desk. A very large man in black was shuffling papers at the counter against the wall. His back was to her and he didn't notice her approach.

"Excuse me?"

The man turned. "Yes, welcome to Bulkmeier's, how may I-Kimberly?"

"Bulk, is that you?"

The man broke into a smile. He was a good ten pounds lighter, and his clothing was a little more chic, but it was the same old Bulk.

"Look at you," he said coming to the counter. Then his face fell. "Are you here for the reunion? I don't remember your name on the reservation list."

"It's under Kimberly Barnes," she said.

"Oh," he typed the name into the computer. "Yes, there it is." Then he turned his head quickly and shouted, "Skull! Get out here!" He turned his attention back to Kim. "So you got married?"

"Divorced," Kim said quickly.

"Oh, well…" Bulk typed a few more keys on the computer then turned again. "Skull!"

"I'm busy!" came a voice from somewhere behind the counter.

"Kimberly's here!"

A slim man with spiky black hair suddenly darted out of the room and came around the counter. His face lit up immediately when he saw her.

"Kimberly!" He ran and before she could react gathered her in a big bear hug. "How are you?"

"Good, good. Uh, could you put me down?"

"Oh, sorry." She felt her feet touch the floor as Skull stepped back. He looked exactly the same as he had in high school. He was even wearing the old Einstein t-shirt she'd seen on him a million times.

"You just missed Tommy," Bulk said. "He checked in about an hour ago. And Billy's upstairs. He's been here all week."

"Billy's here?" Kim said thinking of the magazine stuffed into her oversized purse.

"Yeah," Bulk said. "He and his wife rented a suit."

"It's their honeymoon," Skull said.

"You're not supposed to tell people that, NumbSkull!" Bulk barked at him. "They wanted to keep it quiet."

Skull put a finger to his lips. "Shhh…our little secret."

"When did he get married?"

"Oh, they've been married," Skull said. "They just didn't get a honeymoon because of the whole robot thing."

"Don't ask for a magazine, we ran out two days ago," Bulk said. "Can't keep them on the shelves."

"It's okay, I have one," Kim said.

Bulk held out a small folder to Kimberly. "Okay, you're all checked in. You have access to the beach front, pool, workout rooms, and lounge. Oh, and this." He held out a bright orange flyer to her. "Since so many people arrived early for the reunion we're having a little pre-reunion mixer tonight at the beach club downstairs."

Kimberly took the flyer and looked at it. "Okay, thank you."

"If they're anything else you need, just ask!" Bulk smiled brightly.

"Do you need help getting to your room?" Skull asked, eyeing the large pink suitcase.

"No, I got it," Kim said taking hold of the suitcase and heading for the elevator.

"Just call if you need anything!" Bulk said.

"Yeah, day or night!" Skull followed up as she walked away.

Jason waved a hand in front of his face to keep the smoke away and resisted the urge to cough. Rodger, the part time cook he'd just hired was coughing madly into his elbow. The smoke was beginning to thin and Jason could see the baking sheet on the rack, black mounds of ash that were meant to be calzones, covered in white foam from the fire extinguisher in his hand.

This was the second fire in two weeks. He was going to need to replace the oven.

_I'm going to have two hundred people in here in tomorrow_, he thought. _What else could go wrong? _

He sighed and turned to see Katherine standing at the doorway to the kitchen.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said. "Fire's out. But this oven's shot. Get on the phone and call the repairman again; see if he can get out here today."

"The reunion's this weekend," Kat said. "We can't have a fire on our hands."

"I know that!" he shot out. "That's why I asked you do take care of it today!"

Kat gave him a hard look then turned on heel and walked out of the room.

Goddammit I don't need this!

"Katherine, wait!"

He dropped the fire extinguisher on the floor and left the kitchen to Roger, following his wife back to the office. He saw her disappear into the back room and caught the door just as she was slamming it shut.

"Kat, I'm sorry!" he said pushing his way in.

She didn't stop him opening the door but went to the small cluttered desk and began digging through papers.

"I don't know how much more of this we can take," he said. "First we're sighted for outdated equipment and have to replace everything, then we lose half the inventory to ants and almost lose our health code status, and now the oven is out again. If we have to replace it we won't make the mortgage and we're going to lose this place."

"You think I don't know that?" Katherine snapped. "You think I don't know that we're going to lose everything in a matter of weeks no matter what we do?"

Jason just sighed. Of course she knew. She knew better than him. She was the one who sat in this office all night adding up receipts, trying to squeeze out enough money to keep the bills paid. She was the one who worked part time at a clothing store so they wouldn't lose their house too. They'd only been married for a year when he'd come home with the idea to buy Ernie's place and try to save it, and she'd been nothing but supportive. She'd quit her job at the dance school to teach here for free, she'd spent every evening and weekend working the juice bar so they wouldn't have to hire another waitress right away. She'd even put her own savings into the down payment so he could get a better interest rate on the loan.

And now it looked like it was all going to be for nothing, and it would be his fault.

"Maybe we should just let Stanley have it," Jason said.

"Is that what you want?" Katherine asked quietly.

Stanley was a lawyer that had been coming around the last few weeks trying to get him to turn over the Youth Center to his client. Apparently, the client was in negotiations to buy the place from the bank. Jason had spent a week talking to lawyers and discovered that there wasn't much he could do about it. If they bank sold the note to Stanley's client he could insert himself as a partner in the business and do what ever he wanted to the Youth Center.

"No," Jason said but it wasn't very convincing. This place had been his dream. It meant too much to him to just let it go. If he was going down he was going down fighting, just like he always did. "We can't give up yet."

"We may not have a choice," Katherine said. She took a step towards him and touched his arm gently. "I know this place was your dream, but we can't do this alone. We can try to stay on after Stanley takes over, or we can give it up to him."

Jason shook his head. "I'm not giving up," he said. "Not yet."

Katherine nodded. "Okay."

"I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"I'm sorry too."

She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. "I hope hosting this reunion isn't the last thing we ever do."

Rocky fell into bed exhausted. It had been a horrible day. Anthony had misplaced his brand new soccer cleats, again, making him late for practice, the twins had spent the afternoon fighting over the Barbie house, causing a two hour double tantrum that had woken Brian up from his nap early, meaning he was cranky the rest of the day. When Silvia had gotten home, dinner was late, the baby was crying and the garlic bread was burning in the oven.

Just a typical day at the DeSanto house.

He felt a movement behind him as Silvia climbed into bed. A second later he felt her hand slip between his arm and his ribs and her lips on the back of his neck.

"Bad day," she asked quietly.

He replied with a deep moan and buried his face in the pillow.

"You want to go to work tomorrow?" she asked. She always asked when he had a bad day, mostly because she knew what the answer would be.

"No," he said. "Tomorrow will be better. Don't forget we're leaving right after school for Angel Grove."

She was kissing his shoulder now. "I didn't forget," she said. "Kelly's going to handle the Bernard wedding. I will be totally at your disposal."

Rocky smiled into the pillow as her kissing resumed. Her hand slid over his stomach and headed south.

"You're not _too_ tired are you?"

Rocky moaned happily as she took hold of him. He _was_ that tired, but it had been weeks since she'd been home early. She ran her own catering business and May and June were huge wedding seasons. Plus, despite the fact that their trip to Angel Grove was technically a vacation, they would be staying at his mother's house, not the most romantic setting.

He rolled on his back and pulled her on top of him. She was kissing him hard, and moving against him.

Then the bedroom door banged as it was thrown open, making them both jump.

"Daddy, Abby's throwing up," a small voice said.

Abby's twin sister Kayla was standing in the doorway, her Little Mermaid nightdress hanging two inches too short around her legs.

"Goddammit all to hell!"

"Daddy said a bad word," Kayla whined.

"Daddy is about to say a lot of bad words."

"Mom-my!"

Rocky looked up and saw Silvia holding a hand over her mouth, trying not to laugh.

"Go help you sister, I'll be there in a minute," he said.

Kayla disappeared and Silvia moved to the side.

"Do you want me to help?" she asked.

Rocky was out of bed and headed for the door. "No," he said. "It was probably the salad. Every time she eats egg lately she throws up. The doctor said if it happens again to bring her in for allergy testing."

"God I hope she's not allergic to egg," Silvia said. "That would be a disaster."

"Hmmph," Rocky said as he marched out of the room.

The four year old had made it to the bathroom, just not to the toilet, so the mess wasn't too difficult to clean up. He settled both the girls into their beds, checked on the baby, and made it back to the bedroom within an hour.

Silvia was lying in bed still awake when he got there. He climbed in bed and slid over to her side, hoping the mood hadn't been ruined too much. He started kissing her neck softly, pulling her a little closer with each kiss.

"Rocky?"

"Mmm-hmm?" He was working his way down her chest, which was covered with a thin black tank top. Slowly, he moved one hand down to the hem, preparing to pull it up.

"Are we done having kids?"

"God, I hope so," he said without thinking, but when she shifted away from him he felt his stomach drop out.

"I'm serious," she said. "Do you want to have more kids?"

_Oh, God, she can't be pregnant again, there's no way! _

"Uh, I don't know, maybe," he said cautiously.

"Really?" she said. "I mean, four is a big family. I know you had a lot of brothers and sisters and I love having so many kids, but, I like things the way they are now, don't you?"

"Yeah, I guess." He still wasn't sure how to respond. He definitely liked they way things were. He liked being home with the kids while she worked. He liked picking them up from school, and making them dinner every night. He even liked doing homework. Sure, it meant spending the majority of your day dressing Barbie dolls and watching Disney movies and cleaning bodily fluids off the bathroom floor, but in the end he'd rather be hunting for Barbie's missing shoe than sitting behind a desk pushing paper, or tending bar at night like he had been when they met.

"Are you sure?" Silvia asked.

"Yeah," he said. "You know I love being home with the kids."

"But you think four is enough?"

"Yeah," he said.

"Then I think I should have my tubes tied."

Rocky jaw dropped. He'd expected to be told they were having another baby, not that that they would never have one again.

"Say something!" Silvia said when he didn't answer.

But he couldn't speak. He didn't know the words for it. He pushed himself away and rolled back against the pillows. Silvia came over and rested her head on his chest looking up at him.

"I've been thinking a lot about this," she said. "We've had four kids in eight years. That's a big family. The business is great, we're making good money, even saving a little. And Brian is going to be three soon so he can go to school in the fall and then you'll have your days to yourself. You've been saying for months that you want to get back into shape. You could start teaching karate again if you wanted. I think it's time you did something for yourself. What do you think?"

Rocky sighed. He didn't know what to think. When he'd met Silvia he'd been tending bar in a hotel lounge. He'd tried college, but didn't know what he wanted to do. The only thing he ever loved was teaching karate, which he tried to do full time, but it just wasn't enough money in it. Then, when Anthony had been born, Silvia's business was taking off, and the money was good, so he'd quit his job and stayed home with the baby so she could work.

It had been rough at first, the money was tight with the new business, and being home with a newborn is a hard task no matter how much money you have. But by the time Anthony was four business was booming, they were moving into a nice house in the suburbs, and he was practically begging for another baby. He felt like he'd finally found his calling. Being home with the kids meant he got to spend his days playing kickball and having tickle fights, and going to the zoo and the park and playgroups. It was like being a big kid.

And the best part was it made Silvia happy. She loved the kids and was a great mom, but cooking was her passion and owning a catering business had been her dream her whole life. He didn't have dreams like that, and it seemed pointless to spoil her dream so he could work a job he hated. He didn't feel like less of a man because he didn't work, in fact, it was mostly the opposite. She was relieved when he volunteered to quit his job and stay home, and he had to admit he got a small thrill when he went to a store or playgroup and some mom would gush over him for being a stay at home dad.

She was right about the martial arts thing too. That was the one thing he missed from his old life. He'd been good at it, and it had been a central part of his life for as long as he could remember. He'd always said he'd get back into it someday, when the kids were older, when things were slower. Well, maybe that time was now.

"Okay," he said. "Let's do it."

"Really?" Silvia said.

"Yeah," he said. "You're right. We have a good family, and I'm happy with it. And I would like to do martial arts again. If you really want to do this, then we can do it."

She smiled wide and then she was kissing him. "Thank you," she said. Then she was kissing him again hard and intense and he pulled her in his hand moving over her, feeling her body on top of him, begging for more.

"Rocky," she whispered in his ear.

"Yeah?" he whispered back.

"I love you."

"I love you too."


	2. Mix Up

Obligatory disclaimer: I own nothing of the Power Rangers nor do I know who currently owns them. Any other questions?

"I'm telling you Skull," Bulk said surveying the crowded beach deck. "Hosting this reunion was the smartest thing we could have done. Look at how many people came out for it. We are going to make a fortune this weekend."

"Yeah," said Skull. "That's you, Bulky, always thinkin'."

"Look at 'em out there, Skull," he said. "Can you believe it's been ten years since we were all in high school?"

"Yeah," Skull said. "Some of them were such dweebs then."

A couple Bulk recognized from high school pranced by arm in arm talking low. "Some of them are still dweebs," he said.

"Yeah," Skull said. "Glad we're not like that."

Tommy sat at a small table alone facing the water. He was on the far corner of the deck and could see ever color on the water as the sun sank slowly in the distance.

What am I doing here? He asked himself. He ran a thumb along the empty cup in front of him. The ice had left an uneven ring of condensation around the edge. There was now a large streak through the fog where he'd touched it.

_I should have kept in touch better_, he thought. _I was their leader and I abandoned them. They must hate me for forgetting them like that. _

"Hey stranger, can I buy you a drink?" said a low voice from behind him.

Tommy turned. "No, I have-Trini?"

Trini smiled down at him, her smooth black hair rippling across her face. "Hey Tommy," she said.

Tommy stood up and she hugged him tight. "It's so good to see you," she said.

"Sit down," he said.

They seated themselves at the table and Trini smiled.

"So, what have you been up to?"

Tommy shrugged. "I'm a teacher. I was studying paleontology but I…decided to get out of research and started teaching high school."

"High school? Really?"

"Yeah," Tommy said. "Who would have thought?"

Trini smiled again, and then she saw something over Tommy's shoulder and her smile widened. "Over here!" she said waving at someone.

Tommy felt his stomach clench, wondering who it could be.

"Look who I found," Trini said gesturing to Tommy.

He felt a hand land on his shoulder. "Well don't that beat all?" a musical voice said.

"Zach?"

He turned around and sure enough there stood Zach, wearing a Hawaiian shirt that matched the colors of the sunset. "I see you've met my wife."

Tommy turned back to Trini and did a double take. "You're wife?"

Trini held up her hand, displaying an elaborately set diamond. "Almost six years now."

"That's great!" Tommy said.

Zach came around and sat on the other side of Trini at the small table. Trini leaned into him and said, "Get this, Tommy is a high school teacher."

"Get out! Seriously?" Zach said. "Dude, that's awesome!"

"Thanks," he said. "What are you guys doing?"

Zach's smile widened. "Well, I am an assistant to the American Ambassador of Britain. And Trini here…" He gestured grandly for his wife to take the stage.

"I'm a therapist," she said. "I have a small practice in London."

"You're living in London now?"

"Too right, mate," Zach said in an exaggerated accent.

"That's awesome," Tommy said. "I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks, man," Zach said. "So what about you? Is there a special lady friend we should know about?"

"No, nothing like that," Tommy said. "Just me."

There was an awkward silence and Tommy sipped at his drink unconsciously, only to realize it was empty. He turned back to the club, hoping to catch the eye of one of the servers.

"Did you hear about Billy?" Trini asked.

"Yeah, the robot thing," Tommy said. "I saw the magazine at the airport."

"I hope you bought extra copies," Zach said. "There's not a single one in Angel Grove."

Trini laughed. "Have you seen him?"

"No," Tommy said. "Have you?"

Trini shook her head. "No one has. I saw Kimberly earlier and she said she tried calling his room and he didn't answer, but Bulk and Skull never saw him leave."

"Kimberly's here?" Tommy asked, perking up at the name. He immediately regretted it, she was the last person he wanted to see.

"Yeah, she came in this afternoon, right before we did, but I don't know if she's coming tonight," Trini said. "She's-" Trini paused and cut a look to Zach. "She's not very social at the moment."

_That makes two of us_, Tommy though finally spotting a server, a young man in a gold vest the large monogram "B" embroidered on the front.

"Another drink sir?" the server asked.

"Yes please," Tommy said handing him his glass. "Vodka tonic."

The server nodded, asked Trini and Zach if they wanted anything, and after they declined, disappeared into the crowd.

"So, who else is here?" Trini asked.

"I saw Adam and Tanya at the airport," Tommy said.

"I saw Adam earlier," Trini said. "He was with a woman, tall thin black woman, cropped hair?"

Tommy nodded. "That's Tanya, she was the Yell-she came after Aisha."

Trini nodded, understanding. It seemed silly to be dancing around the words after all these years, but old habits die hard.

"Jason should be here too," Zach spoke up. "He and Kat still live here."

"Kat," Tommy said. One more person he didn't really want to see. "I didn't know they still lived around here."

"Yeah, didn't you read your reunion papers," Zach said. "They bought Ernie's Juice bar after he passed away."

"They did?"

"Yes," Trini said. "It was in the brochure, right after Bulk and Skull owning Bulkmeier's."

"I guess I didn't read that far."

"Well, Jason told me they'd be here," Trini said. "Oh, wait, is that them?"

Tommy turned in the direction Trini was looking, and sure enough, there stood Jason, as tall and lean as ever. Katherine stood next to him, her hand casually entwined in his. They were both scanning the room and hadn't noticed them yet. Trini was holding an arm up, waving to get their attention, and finally Katherine's face lit up as she recognized the group. She pulled on Jason's arm and led him to their table. Trini and Zach stood up immediately to greet them. Tommy forced himself out of his seat as they went through the obligatory hugs and greetings. Kat hugged Tommy without hesitating while Zach and Jason maneuvered a second table and more chairs to their little corner of the deck.

"It's so good to see you," Kat said.

"You too," Tommy said. "What's this I hear about you owning Ernie's?"

"Oh, that!" Katherine said taking a seat that Jason set up for her. "Well, you know when Ernie died he left the place to his nephew, but the nephew didn't know much about running a business and couldn't keep it up on his own. He was going to close the place, but-" she threw a glance at Jason then looked back at Tommy- "we just couldn't let it go. So we scraped together some money and borrowed the rest and took the place over."

"Wow," Tommy said.

The waiter appeared then with Tommy's drink and took orders from the new members. Then Trini called out, seeing Adam and Tanya across the room. More chairs were shuffled and greetings were made. Tommy sipped the bitter vodka and forced himself to smile.

"Where are you living now?" Kat asked. "Every time I try to write or call whatever address I have is vacant."

"I just moved to Riverside," Tommy said. He gave his story about quitting traveling to teach high school and Jason had a good laugh over it. "I was moving around a lot before that. There didn't seem to be a point in keeping a permanent place when I was never in the same place more than a few months."

"What were you doing?"

"I was studying paleontology, going around to different dig sights, doing studies, things like that." _Until I screwed up and trusted the wrong person_, Tommy thought.

"I'll be right back," Tommy said getting up. Despite the fact that they were outdoors, he was suffocating. He went to the bar and ordered a fresh drink, then stepped around to the back stairway and went down to the beach.

The beach was nearly as crowded as the deck. The last remnants of sunlight were disappearing in the ocean. Men in gold Bulkmeier staff uniforms were already running up and down the beach lighting the Tiki torches for the evening festivities. Tommy walked out to the beach, past the crowds, near the water. He stood there just out of reach of the surf for several seconds, watching the last rays of gold and red disappear over the water.

_I'm here_, he thought. _I've seen them and it hasn't killed me yet_.

He still couldn't shake the guilt. He'd been gone so long. He always meant to call or write, or something. It was what he should have done. But he didn't. True, he had other things on his mind, other things that were still going on. It shouldn't bother him so much, he knew that. This is what happens, he told himself. People grow up, they grow apart. That's what these events are for, a chance to reconnect. _That's what he should be doing_, he thought. He should be up there getting to know his friends again, not here wallowing in his own misgivings.

He drained the last of the gin and tonic and turned to head back to the deck. He stepped inside the line of tiki torches and hit a patch of loose sand and lost his balance. He stumbled to the side and hit something hard before going down in the sand, dragging whatever he'd his along with it.

"Oh, man, I'm so sorry," he said trying to get up. He saw a blur of pink and black silk in front of him. He'd run into some woman. _Wonderful Tommy. Great move there_.

"It's okay," she said. "I'm alright I-"

She stopped talking and Tommy found himself looking into a pair over very familiar brown eyes.

"Kimberly." He could barely say the name out loud. He wasn't even sure if she'd heard it.

"Tommy."

They sat there in the sand time standing still for both of them. Tommy just stared at her until he realized his chest was burning because he forgot to breathe. He took a deep breath and let it out, feeling some relief in his chest, but not in his stomach.

Kim was moving slowly in the sand now, trying to disentangle her legs from his.

"Oh," he said quickly. "I'm sorry, let me help you up."

"Are you guys okay?" came Jason's voice out of nowhere. Tommy felt several firm hands on his arms, pulling him to his feet. His eyes were still on Kimberly, who was receiving similar assistance from Trini and Tanya.

"We saw you go down," Jason said. "That looked like it hurt."

"I'm okay," Tommy said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Kim said dusting herself off. "I just got sand everywhere."

"I'm sorry."

Kimberly shrugged. "It'll be fine."

"We should get back up before someone steals our table," Jason said. They all nodded and trooped back up the stairs. Tommy followed Kim and when they reached the table she slid into a seat next to Trini and Zach, putting her directly across from him.

Conversation started up again immediately, but he barely heard a word. His eyes were on Kim. She was listening intently as everyone else talked about their lives and jobs and families, but she didn't talk. She just sat and listened, every once in awhile asking questions or making comments.

_She's changed_, Tommy thought. The old Kim would have whined about her dress getting covered in sand, and would have been excited to tell everyone about her life and what she'd been doing the last twelve years.

_She's not very social at the moment_, Trini had said. Tommy had thought this was an exaggeration, but he realized it wasn't. Kim had always been the life of the room in high school, but now, she may as well be part of the deck they were sitting on.

_What happened to her?_ He wondered. He watched her sit, the light from the newly lit torches giving her pale skin a beautiful copper glow, and reflecting off the bits of sand still stuck in her scarf, giving it a glittery appearance. She never smiled, he realized. Apparently he wasn't the only one still fighting monsters.


	3. Do You Want to Hear A Little Story?

Obligatory disclaimer: I own nothing of the Power Rangers nor do I know who currently owns them. Any other questions?

For those of you who are wondering, yes, Billy is finally going to make his grand entrance in this chapter.

Tommy took a deep breath as he entered the Juice Bar and Youth Center. When he stepped through the door he was far more shocked than he thought he would be. Not because the place looked that different, but because it looked so much the same.

Jason and Kat had kept the center pretty much the same as it had been ten years ago. The paint was fresher, some of the equipment was newer, there were more tables and chairs laid out-of course that could have just been for the reunion purposes-but other than that, it was nearly the same as when he'd walked into the center for every school dance and party they'd ever had. A DJ and dance floor had been set up along the far corner, and there was a buffet of food set out along a table near the game area. The Juice bar itself was manned by several teenagers wearing black T-shirts that said "Ernie's Juice Bar and Youth Center." Kat and Jason had even kept the name. Tommy had to admit, he was impressed.

He spotted Jason and Kat standing on the landing that led to the juice bar and headed over. When he reached them, he saw Rocky, sitting next to a blonde woman he assumed to be his wife, as well as Tanya and Adam already sitting at a large table.

They all greeted him when he approached and Kat said she was reserving this table especially for them. He took a seat across from Rocky, near the stairway. Kat sat down next to him, but Jason remained standing. He was leaning against the pole at the top of the stairway looking out over the room. To a casual observer he might appear lost in thought, or even bored, but Tommy recognized that glint in Jason's eye, that ever awareness that came so easily to him. On the outside he was relaxed, casual, but on the inside he saw everything, taking it in like a hawk guarding its nest. It was what had made him a good leader when he was a Ranger, and what made him a good manager now.

"Hey, is this our table?"

Tommy looked up to see Kim followed by Trini and Zach standing at the opposite end of the table. Everyone went around with greetings, simpler now since most of the shock and surprises had been dispensed with the previous night. Rocky introduced his wife Silvia to everyone and they all took their seats. Conversation was light as more stories were exchanged about events over the last few years. Rocky had a small stack of pictures to pass around of his kids, and Trini had a few from London. Kimberly, who was next to Tommy now, poured over every picture before passing it to him.

"Rocky, the girls are so beautiful," she said. "What are their names again?"

"Abby and Kayla," he said. "They're so smart."

"They're little trouble makers," Silvia said.

Rocky just laughed. "You just have keep an eye on them," he said. "They do get devious sometimes."

Kim passed Rocky the last picture, a snapshot of Rocky holding the two blonde headed girls in his backyard.

"I love what you guys have done with this place," Kim said over his shoulder to Kat. "It looks amazing."

"We've tried not to change too much," Kat said. "We wanted to keep Ernie's vision alive, but there were a few updates it needed. We got new gym equipment last year, and some of the kitchen appliances are new. We really want to remodel the juice bar area up here, but we can't find a contractor that can do it without closing it down for several months and Jason doesn't want to do that."

"We can't just close the whole place," Jason said over Kat's shoulder. Kat just sighed.

Tommy was still looking through Rocky's snapshots when Kim suddenly gasped. "Oh my god, there he is!"

"Who?" he asked, not looking up.

"Billy."

The whole table moved at once, everyone half standing from their chairs to see where Kimberly was pointing. Even Jason twisted around from his watch-post to look.

Sure enough, just inside the main entrance stood Billy Cranston. His blond hair was cut shorter than the magazine picture had been, and he was wearing a pair of thin, gold-rimmed glasses, but it was Billy. He stood quietly, surveying the room, hands in his pockets-an odd habit he'd had as long as Tommy had known him. He didn't know it at the time, but it was a habit he developed to keep from fidgeting when he was nervous. Apparently, he still used it.

"Who's that?" Adam said as a tall woman with long brown hair came up behind Billy and put her arms around his shoulders. She leaned in close to him and he smiled and kissed her.

"That must be his wife," Kim said. In one movement everyone at the table turned to her.

"His wife?"

"I thought he was with that girl from Aquitar," Rocky said.

Kat said. "I didn't even know he'd come back until I saw the magazine."

"I knew he was back," Kim said. "He came back after she died."

In one move the entire table turned to face Kim. Eight identical looks of shock held in place until she spoke.

"I came through here to visit a few years ago and I ran into Billy's dad at the mall," she explained sheepishly. "He told me Billy's wife had died and he moved to Boston. I was living in New York so I took a weekend and went down there to see him."

"How long ago was that?" Jason asked.

Kim shook her head. "Several years," she rolled her eyes to the ceiling counting the years on the ceiling tiles. "I guess seven or eight. He'd just started college."

Finding this acceptable all eyes turned back on the main entrance, but Tommy just sat in shock. Kim had seen Billy after he came back Aquitar. Why hadn't he called anyone when he came back? Tommy himself didn't know Billy was back on earth, much less that he'd been widowed and remarried.

_I should have known_, Tommy said. Another lurch of guilt that he thought he was over clenched his stomach, but this one filled with a little resentment as well. He had always assumed that Billy's lack of contact was a good thing, had pictured his happy with a new life and family on a faraway planet. It hurt to know he was wrong, the same way he knew he'd hurt everyone else.

He'd been shocked when he saw the magazine article and discovered that Billy had been in Boston the last five years, working his way through MIT and coming through there.

_Why didn't he let any of us know_?

Well, of course he couldn't have let Tommy know. As Kat had pointed out last night, he hadn't been easy to reach. Traveling the globe scouting dig sights and experimenting on a hidden island with people who eventually betrayed him. Billy could have come back any time after he left Angel Grove and no one would have been able to tell him.

"Hey, where's he going?" Rocky said. Tommy looked over his shoulder and saw Billy walking back out the entrance, leaving the woman behind.

"Don't know," said Jason.

The woman was now headed toward the steps to the juice bar. She passed their table without looking and went right to the counter for a drink. Bulk and Skull were lounging to one side of the counter and she smiled at them.

"What should we do?" Rocky asked. "Should we go talk to her, or wait for Billy to come back?"

"I don't know," Kimberly said. "Tommy, what do you think?"

Tommy froze. They were all looking at him expectantly. He was shocked. He wasn't their leader anymore, hadn't been for years, and yet they all turned to him for advice.

He just shook his head. The truth was he didn't know what to do. Billy wouldn't have left her here if he didn't intend to return, so there was no point in freaking this girl out over nothing. And yet, he wanted to know about her, about whom she was and how she knew Billy. It was silly, but the curiosity was tearing him up more then he thought appropriate.

"Why, hello there Dalla," Bulk was saying. "How are you this evening?"

"Oh, good," she said stepping over to stand next to them. "I wanted to thank you guys for suggesting Turtle Cove yesterday. It was fantastic. Very romantic. We completely lost track of time and forgot about your party. How did it go?"

"Oh it was great," Skull said. "Huge turn out, everyone showed up, even people who aren't staying at the hotel."

"Oh, this is ridiculous," Kim said suddenly and stood up from her chair. She walked up to the bar, standing right behind the woman Bulk had called Dalla. Tommy instinctively walked up with her, standing next to her at the bar as she ordered a drink. Then Kim looked over and somehow caught Skull's eye.

"Oh, hey, Kimberly," Skull said.

"Hey, guys," she said smiling sweetly.

Bulk gestured to the woman standing next to Kim. "Have you met Dalla?"

_Wow, how did she do that_? Kim apparently still had a magic touch when it came to talking to people, especially Bulk and Skull.

The woman turned to Kim and smiled. Kim held out her hand. "Kimberly Hart."

"Dalla Cranston," she said.

"Cranston? Billy Cranston?" Kimberly said with a well faked surprise. Nope, she hadn't lot her magic at all.

"Yes, he's my husband."

Kim gasped. "Billy was one of my best friends in school." She turned and gestured to Tommy. "This is Tommy Oliver."

Dalla looked up at him and smiled. "Tommy," she said. "Billy talks about you all the time."

"Where is Billy anyway?" Tommy said casually.

"I'm right here."

Tommy felt his back stiffen in surprise at his friends voice. Still a crisp tenor that could convey serious emotion in few words. Dalla was holding a hand over her face to keep from laughing. Bulk and Skull weren't doing as good of job at hiding.

Tommy and Kimberly turned together to see Billy standing directly behind them. He looked just like the same old Billy. Not quite as built but still lean and solid, his eyes were soft behind the glasses he wore, making him look younger, and more thoughtful.

Tommy risked a glance over Billy's shoulder to the table where everyone was sitting. All his old friends were watching the scenario and having various amounts of success hiding their smiles.

"Billy," Kim said it first, her voice a little higher than needed to convey a casual greeting, it sounded more like strained surprise.

But Billy was smiling too. He held up a small silver object. "I forgot the camera in the car," he said simply. "I see you've met my wife."

"Uh, yeah we were…uh," Tommy stumbled for the words, hoping Kimberly still had enough magic left to come to his rescue. But it was Dalla who saved him.

She stepped forward to Billy's side. "They were just introducing themselves. Why don't you introduce me to the rest of your friends."

Billy's face softened when she came close and he let her to the table where the others were sitting. Tommy moved to follow but was stopped when Kimberly suddenly whirled around.

"You could have told us he was standing right there," she snapped at Bulk and Skull.

Bulk smiled wide. "And miss the look on your face, not in a million years."

She glared at him then turned on heel and sat down. Billy was in the process of greeting everyone at the table and introducing Dalla. They took seats at the end of the long table, he and Kim settling in next to them. Tommy took notice that they were holding hands on top of the table.

"How long have you been married?" he asked.

"About a year and a half," Billy said.

"Where are you living now?" Tanya wanted to know. "Most of us didn't even know you were-" Then she cut off suddenly looking around the table. It occurred to everyone at the same time that no one was sure how much this woman knew about their past.

"Back from Aquitar?" Billy said. "Yes, I've been back almost eight years."

"Is that where you two met?" Rocky spoke up. "On Aquitar?"

Dalla smiled. "That is a very long story. One I'm sure you don't want to hear."

"Of course we do!"

"Tell us, please!"

Tommy's other friends begged and pleaded to hear it until Dalla put her hands up in resignation.

"Alright," she said. "But I'm warning you now, it might take most of the weekend to get through it."

"Go ahead," Kimberly prompted. "Please."

"Alright then…I was born on a planet called Illumen…"

I was born with a genetic disorder that caused my internal organs to constantly malfunction. The doctors were sure I wouldn't live more than a few months, but amazingly every time they thought they'd exhausted their options, I would pull through. For five years the hospital was my home, the only part of the universe I ever knew.

Then one day a new doctor came from the planet Aquitar. He was friends with some of my previous doctors and had studied my condition extensively. He begged my parents to take me to his home planet where he thought he could use Aquitian technology to heal me. They agreed and that was the first time I saw space.

I don't remember much of the first few years. The treatments were helping, but I was still weak most of the time. I could leave my room, but I was still confined to the hospital facility. I remember it was underwater and there were open windows everywhere that looked out over the vast oceans. I remember it reminding me of my short space trip from Illumen. When you stood in one of the circular view ports of and Aquitian building you felt like you were standing among the stars.

But then, two years after I was brought to Aquitar, my parents were killed in a transporter accident. They both died and I was left in the care of the doctor who'd brought me to that planet. My condition steadily got worse, partially due to my grief and partially due to the fact that it was inevitable the treatments would eventually stop working, they always did.

For years I had nothing but the doctors and nurses who took care of me. But then, when I was sixteen a breakthrough came from an unlikely source. A young doctor named Cestria, who had been studying genetic manipulation for years, came up with a new treatment that would change my genetic structure enough to halt the disease.

The treatment worked, and within a year I was able to leave the hospital. But I was on my own. My parents were dead, I had no other family to claim me, and I hadn't lived on my home planet in over ten years.

There was one thing I had that saved me. Because of the fact that I spent so much time inside, I read constantly. I developed a gift for language. By the time Cestria cured me I could reasonably read and understand nearly every language used on Aquitar, and over half from Illumen.

Cestria was impressed by my abilities and we had become close because of all the time she spent treating me. She was only two years older than me, and my only real friend. I think she felt out of place at the hospital too because she was still a teenager herself, even thought she was already a full doctor. She talked to some people and got me a job at with the government as a translator for foreign ambassadors. Aquitar was part of a vast planetary network of planets. I met hundreds of aliens and learned even more languages.

And best of all, I was stayed on Aquitar, in the capital city of Aquitia, where Cestria was. We were best friends, and I loved her like a sister.

Then the war happened. We were attacked by aliens seeking to pollute the pure waters of my adoptive planet. I was working overtime at the ambassadors office, trying to learn their language, open communication that would end the fighting.

The Aquitain Rangers worked directly with the government to end the fighting. I met and worked with all of them, but finally it was decided the Cestro, the blue ranger, would be sent to earth for help.

I wasn't there when Cestro returned, but Cestria was on the team developing the weapons to defeat the Hydro-Contaminators. I'd heard of earth before, and I was assigned to learn the language and develop a translation program to make Billy's time there easier. This was all last minute of course because no one knew Billy was coming until he was already there. So I was put on the spot because Billy decided to play the hero.

I was at the embassy, working with another translator who was a complete idiot when I first met Billy. The Translator, I think his name was Targav, and I were having a disagreement over an alliance agreement I was trying to draw up with the Illumen. We were arguing about several of the points in the treaty-

"The way I remember it, you were screaming at him," said Billy.

"I wasn't screaming. We were having a discussion."

"A one sided one."

"I was trying to help him overcome his incompetence."

Billy laughed. "You were screaming and he was cowering."

"Are you telling this story or am I?"

"I will if you don't tell it right."

"Fine," Dalla conceded. "Maybe I was yelling a little."

"A lot."

"Whatever! The point is, Billy came out of nowhere…

He grabbed my wrist, which was waving in the air, brandishing the flawed document and said, "Hey, what are you doing?"

"This idiot thinks he's going to bring down the Hydro-Contaminators by writing all his verb conjugations backwards!" I said. "Why am I the only one who can tell the difference between a noun and adjective around here?"

"Whoa, slow down," Billy said. "I don't understand Aquitian that well yet."

Now here's the thing about knowing so many languages. Sometimes, when you know them so well, you get too comfortable with them, and start lapsing into them without thinking. Now Billy had spoken to me in perfect English, but I hadn't yelled back in Aquitian, I'd spoken in Illumen, automatically assuming that's what he was. It took several seconds for me to remember what language he'd spoken and respond.

"You're speaking Earth language," I said in the right words this time.

"You speak English," he said looking relieved. "They told me some people here would. Thank goodness."

"If you only speak English then you must be the one from earth. Billy, right?"

He nodded and held out his hand. "Billy Cranston."

Luckily, Cestro had trained me in this greeting and I shook his hand without making a fool of myself.

"Should I go re-write the document now?" Targav asked in Illumen.

"Go," I said flinging the paper in his face. "And make sure you bring it back before Delphine sees it. It has to be perfect."

"You should go easier on him," Billy said as Targov sulked away.

"We're in a war," I answered. "There's no time for easy." Then something occurred to me. "What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be at the command station working on the (look up name of weapon)?"

"They sent me down here for an electronic translator," he said. "Not everyone up there speaks English and my Aquitian is limited."

I remember thinking that wasn't the only thing that's limited, but I didn't say it. Instead I went to my desk and pulled out the small translation device I had specially programmed for him.

"Here," I said. "If you have any problems just let me know."

"Thank you."

I nodded. "You're welcome."

Then he turned and left and that was the only time I saw him while he was Aquitar. At least the first time.

Sorry about the delay in getting these chapters up. I actually have like five written, but there were some holes in my memory on specific names and spellings so I had to do some research. I not only had to sit through "Graduation Blues" again, but I had to read the Aqutian Ranger's Wiki profile to get the correct spellings of their names. Now I'm off to watch the entire season of Dino Thunder to make sure I have Tommy's history down right. The things I do so you people can have a good story! Show your appreciation and leave a review. Thanks for reading!


	4. Because She Loved Him

Obligatory disclaimer: I own nothing of the Power Rangers nor do I know who currently owns them. Any other questions?

"So that was it?" Rocky said. "That was how you met?"

"Pretty much," Dalla said. "I wasn't part of the team, so I didn't see much of them. Cestria on the other hand…"

The day after the war ended she burst into my apartment in tears.

"He's leaving!" she cried.

"Who?"

"Billy! They're sending him back to earth tomorrow!"

"Good," I said. "Then things can get back to normal around here."

"But he's leaving!" She fell onto the couch and put her head in her hands. My heart immediately went out to her. I had known for some time that she had feeling for him. He was all she ever talked about. Billy said this, Billy had this idea, guess what Billy came up with? It was aggravating, but I didn't' say so because I knew she cared about him.

So instead I sat on the couch beside her and gave her the best advice I could think of. "Have you told him how you feel?"

"No!" she screeched. "How could I?"

I shrugged. I didn't have much experience in this area. I'd never really been in love before. I was a linguist, but love wasn't a language I knew how to speak. "I don't know, just tell him."

"But he's leaving tomorrow!" she said. "What am I supposed to do? Declare my love for him? Ask him to stay?"

All I could do was sigh. Cestria leaned over and put her head in my lap. "Why didn't I say something sooner?" she said. "Why did I wait so long?" She was crying now, I could see the tears as they slid down her face, stain the fabric of the couch. "Now it's too late."

I put my hand on her head and stroked her hair, the same way she used to do for me when I was in the hospital.

"I'm sorry, Cestria," I said softly. "I'm so sorry."

"She didn't come to see me off the next day," Billy said. "She thought I hadn't noticed, but I did. But I was so glad to be going home,-" he shook his head,-"I don't know what I would have done, if she had said something then. I don't know…"

"You were meant to go home," Dalla said. "That's how it had to be."

Kimberly noticed the way she squeezed Billy's hand when she said that. He was looking down at the table, but he smiled anyway.

_How can they talk about his first wife so casually_? Kim wondered. _Especially if Dalla was friends with her? I would think she'd be jealous that he still loves Cestria so much._

"So what happened then?" Kim said, though she already knew at least part of the story.

Dalla smiled and shifted in her chair. "The next part of the story is yours to tell," she said to Billy. "And I need a drink."

She stood up, waiting until she was all the way out of her chair before letting go of his hand.

_How can he love her so much when he's lost the love of his life_? She couldn't understand it. But she very much wanted to so she leaned in and listened as Billy started speaking.

I knew second chances didn't come every day, so when I decided to stay on Aquitar I wanted to do everything right. I made the arrangements with Cestro and the other Aquitian Rangers first. Cestro gave me a job in his lab designing computer software, and helped me get an apartment in Aquitia.

I was there over a year before I decided to ask her to marry me. The funny thing was, once I'd made the decision, I only had one fear. Dalla. We'd never gotten along well. It wasn't that I didn't like her, more that I was afraid of her. She had one hell of a temper and didn't hesitate to unleash it over the smallest thing. And she was very protective about all her friends, especially Cestria. Whenever the three of us were together I always felt her watching me, sizing me up, waiting for an opportunity to find some flaw with my plan.

But over that year, things changed. Her brutal stares became impatient comments and misplaced sarcasm. I noticed the attitude change, and knew something was wrong. What I didn't know, was why. That is until Dalla decided she needed to tell me.

I answered the door, thinking it was Cestria come early for dinner. I remember laughing, because usually she was running late, having had some last minute inspiration on a test she was running and lost track of time making notes.

But when I opened the door it wasn't Cestria, it was Dalla.

"What the hell are you playing at?" she said.

I shook my head. "I don't know what your talking about."

"Well I would be happy to spell it out for you in all one hundred and forty-seven languages that I know," she said. "But seeing as you've wasted enough time already why don't you just explain to me what your problem is."

It's funny, I've fought monsters, intergalactic beings, traveled to multiple planets, had my mind taken over I can't tell you how many times, and never in my whole life have I been more scared than I was with that woman standing in my doorway.

"Why don't you come in and we can talk about it," I said backing away.

She stepped into the apartment and closed the door behind her.

"What is this about?" I asked.

"Cestria."

Another fear hit me then. "What's wrong with Cestria?"

She took a step toward me and I automatically took two backwards. "You do realize that I'm the one who has to listen to her moan and gush over you. Every day I see her fall a little more in love with you, and every day I wait for you to make your decision, and still you don't. It's been a year, a whole fucking year, and still nothing. So I need to know, what are you doing here?"

"I'm still not entirely sure what you're talking about," I said. I had a good guess, but I wasn't about to get myself killed over the wrong response.

Dalla sighed and let out a long string of Aquitian that consisted mostly of words not suitable for mixed company.

Finally she sighed. "All right," she said. "I'm apparently not making myself clear." She gave me a look like she was suddenly unsure of who I was. "I'm using my words correctly right? I mean, I am speaking your language."

At first I thought she was being sarcastic, but then I realized she'd come here with a purpose, prepared herself, thinking that if she spoke more common English the way I did it would be easier. But she was a linguist, and perfection in language was her job. The fact that her plan had backfired was just making the situation as frustrating for her as it was for me.

"You're words are fine," I said. "You're just not telling me your point."

She sighed again. "You're going to have to forgive me," she said. "The only people I get to practice my English with are Delphine and Cestro, and quite frankly, they suck at it."

I laughed at that, not just because it was true, Cestro's English left a lot to be desired, but because it was obvious she had no idea if she was using the slang terms properly. She'd always spoken proper English around me, perfect grammar, no slang, no double ententes; I'd never even heard her make a joke before.

"As opposed to you, who's mastered the art of using the word 'fuck.'"

Her hands went over her mouth. "Oh, I didn't say that right did I?"

"No, I think you did."

We were both laughing then. I gestured to the table, which was already set for dinner. "Why don't you start again and tell me what it is that you want."

She sat down and leaned on the table, choosing her words carefully. "Cestria," she began. "She loves you, very much. She talks about you constantly, she loves working with you, she loves being with you, she…"

Dalla broke off, thinking and I knew she was trying to phrase her words better. I felt a little guilty because I'd left my translator at the office and I thought this might have gone a lot smoother in a language she was more familiar with. I also felt bad because I'd never thought of offer letting her practice her English with me. Cestria spoke English quite well and I spoke enough Aquitian by that point that we rarely had trouble understanding each other. I'd simply never thought about it before.

"But you," Dalla continued speaking slowly, measuring each word with care. "You are different. You left your home planet, left everything behind, you're family, your friends, everything. You say it was for her, but yet you sit here without her. You haven't..." She broke off thinking, then waved a hand in the air in frustration. "I don't know the word."

She thought for a second, but I was pretty sure I knew her meaning. Then she said it. "Tarsheva."

"You want to know why I haven't married her yet," I said. Tarsheva was the Aquitian name for their bonding ceremony.

"That's it," she said. "Marriage. I can't believe I couldn't remember it. That's so odd. I even looked it up. Marriage." She spoke it softly the second time, like a mantra. I knew she'd never forget the meaning again.

"Would it help to tell you I was planning to ask soon?" I said carefully.

"What is soon?"

"The Moon Festival next month."

Dalla smiled. "That's her favorite time of year."

"I know," I said. "I have the moonstone already. Would you like to see it?"

Her smile widened. "I'd love to."

I got up and ran into the bedroom where I'd hidden it. I pulled the smooth black stone from the drawer and carried it back to her. I held it out and she took it almost immediately. She rolled the jewel in her hand several times then held it up to the light, letting the multiple natural faucets of the gem make it glow from within.

"This is a very good quality," she said. "I think she'll love it."

At that moment the front door burst open and Cestria came in like a gust of wind. Dalla barely turned in time to hide the stone in her hand behind her back.

"Cestria!" she said.

Cestria closed the door and looked at the two of us suspiciously. "What is going on in here?"

"Billy bought you a present," Dalla said with perfect conviction. "He wasn't sure if you'd like it so he asked me to come see it first."

Cestria's face lit up. "You bought me a present?" she said. "What is it?"

I looked down at Dalla's hands, still behind her back. She opened her palm slowly, the moonstone glowing black in her hand.

"It's a surprise," she said. "You'll have to wait and see."

"Oh," Cestria said. She looked down, disappointed and I swiped the gem from Dalla's hand.

Dalla stepped forward and put her hands on Cestria's face. She spoke in Aquitian, but I understood the words. "Don't worry, moonchild. You will love it."

I don't really know what came over me, but when Dalla stepped away towards the door I stopped her.

"Wait," I said. I stepped up to Cestria. I held out my hand and opened it slowly for her to see.

She gasped as she looked down at the small black rock. I knew she would know the meaning right away. There's only one reason you give a woman a polished moonstone on Aquitar.

"Billy," she said.

"I don't really know how you do this on Aquitar," I said. "But-"

"Fereme tarshal," Dalla said.

I turned to her in question. The words sounded Aquitian, but I didn't recognize them. But she just repeated them. "Fereme tarshal."

She tilted her head toward Cestria and I suddenly realized what she was doing.

"Fereme tarshal," I said.

"Devando perdal."

"Devando perdal."

Cestria put her hand over mine, covering the moonstone with her palm.

"Devandia perdal ava tarsheva."

The silence hung in the air as I waited expecting something more from Dalla, but all she did was lean forward a bit and say in an exaggerated whisper. "She said yes."

The next thing I knew Cestria had her arms around my neck and was kissing me hard. Neither of us noticed when Dalla slipped out the door without another word.

"That language is so beautiful," Kimberly said. "What does it mean?"

"Tarsheva is the word for the Aquitian equivalent to marriage, but it literally means waterspirit. Everything is connected through water to them so when I said-"

There was a crash and a shout from the bar and they all turned to look. Skull was standing in front of Dalla, who was clutching her arm to her chest.

"Shit, I'm so sorry," she said.

Billy was on his feet in an instant and went to Dalla's side. "Are you okay? What happened?"

Kimberly jumped up to follow him, watching carefully not to step on the glass.

"It was my fault," Skull said. "I backed right into her. I must have knocked the glass out of her hand."

"I'm fine," Dalla said.

Jason appeared then with a broom in hand. "Okay," he said. "Everyone step back, we'll get this cleaned up. Kat, get the first aid kit."

Billy was already leading Dalla out into the hallway. Kimberly saw Tommy disappear around the corner after them. Kat came around with a small red first aid kit in her hand and Kimberly stopped her.

"I'll take it to them," she said. Kat simply nodded and handed the box over. Kim hurried around the corner but didn't have to go far. They'd stopped only a few feet down the hallway, Dalla leaning back against the wall while Billy held a towel to her hand. Tommy just stood back helplessly.

"Here," Kim said opening the box. "I can take a look if you want. I'm a nurse. If it's too deep you may need stitches."

She held her hand out towards Kimberly, who took it gently and cleaned and dressed the wound with bandages from the kit.

"You got dizzy again, didn't you?" Billy said.

"I'm fine," Dalla said firmly.

"I just-never mind." Kim saw Billy giving her and Tommy a wary glance.

"Just say it, Billy," Dalla said sharply.

Kim was done bandaging the small cut and stepped back. Billy took the bandaged hand and sighed again.

"I just think maybe we should rethink the baby thing, just until we can talk to Cestro."

"Twenty-three years," Dalla said firmly. "Twenty three years I've put up with the doctors and the tests and pain. Being told I wasn't going to live another six months much less be able to get married or have a family. In all this time this is the only thing I've asked for. I can't go back now."

"But if you're sick-"

"I'm not sick. If I was sick again I'd know. This is nothing." She ran a hand through Billy's short hair. "Stop worrying so much. It's fine."

"You're having a baby?" Kim asked in an attempt to break the tension.

"We've been trying six months," Dalla said.

"That's great," Tommy said.

"Yeah," Billy said. His voice was still a little hurt but his eyes softened as he looked at Dalla. "It's great." He smiled and Kim knew the tension was gone.

"You asked about the translation of the marriage proposal," Dalla said.

"Everything is about water on Aquitar," she said. "Even love. The speaker says, 'Take me by water, I give you my heart.'"

She cut her eyes to Billy. "And the response:"

They finished the words together, "My heart freely given by water of life."

For those of you who might be wondering WTF is up with Tommy there's an explanation written on my profile page. There's also been some concern expressed to me about people who may not be familiar with the Dino Thunder series. More details on that are also on my profile. I'm only marginally familiar with PRDT myself and since this takes place four months before Dino Thunder I don't think you need to worry. However, if you would like me to post a brief summary of the series in the notes of a future chapter please let me know. (or I suppose you could just Google it)

Feed my ego, write a review!


	5. Returning Home

Obligatory disclaimer: I own nothing of the Power Rangers nor do I know who currently owns them. Any other questions?

**Okay, I know I haven't updated this story in awhile, but I haven't forgotten about it. I had a small breakthrough with it a few weeks ago and squeezed out a few new chapters. I've also been working on publishing one of my original stories that will hopefully be picked up by an agent soon.**

**Hope you enjoy! Don't forget to review! **

By the time Jason was finished sweeping the floor, Billy and Dalla had returned to the table, along with Kimberly and Tommy. Jason put the broom and dustpan away and went back to his post at the top of the stairway. Kat was already sitting at the foot of the table when he got there.

"So you can't leave the story off there," Tanya spoke up when everyone was settled again. "What happened next?"

Jason watched as Billy and Dalla exchanged glances. They didn't say a word out loud, but he knew from experience that a look like that could contain a thousand different messages. He and Kat had developed a similar ability, even before they were married there were times when he would look at her from across the room and know exactly what she needed just from her eyes.

"Well," Billy said finally turning back to his friends. "Thanks to a very helpful suggestion from a friend, Cestria and I were married the next month at the Festival."

Dalla smiled then giving a guilty little shrug. "I didn't see the point in waiting a whole other year. And I knew it would mean a lot to Cestria."

"And then six months later she was gone." Billy stopped and pressed his lips together, the memory too hard to talk about. Jason counted in his head, if he married her a year after leaving for Aquitar then she died only six months later…nine and a half years. That long and one meager phrase was all he could say about it.

Instinctively, Jason put a hand on Kat's shoulder. She reached across her chest and put her hand on his. A simple touch conveying that he would be the same way. If he lost her today ten years wouldn't be enough for him to be able to speak of her death, no amount of time would be enough.

"What happened?" The question came from Kimberly.

Billy hesitated, swallowing hard before speaking. No one spoke, they all waited out of mutual respect, for him to answer in his own time.

"A rare disease, similar to cancer," he said finally. His eyes her downcast, focusing on something on the table in front of him and Jason had the urge to smack Kimberly on the back of her head for asking him to relive something that obviously pained him so much.

"There were no symptoms ahead of time," Dalla supplied. She had her fingers woven through Billy's, their hands causally resting on the table. There was the smallest tightening of Dalla's grip then it relaxed. "By the time we even knew what was happening she had weeks left. It happened quickly, we were all grateful for that."

Billy's head was down, allowing his wife to say what he couldn't, but he gave a small nod at those words. Jason involuntarily squeezed Kat's shoulder a little harder.

No one said anything for a good minute, the grief from the whole table was palpable. Jason decided it was time to move on. "When did you come back to earth?"

Billy leaned back in his chair looking a little more relaxed at the new subject. "A few months later," he said. "I avoided it for as long as I could, but in the end, there wasn't really a choice."

I threw myself into work after Cestria died. When I was working I didn't have to think about anything else. But after a few months Cestro decided intervene.

I was working late one night, like I did most nights at that time. I heard Cestro's footsteps behind me. I remember thinking it was odd because usually I didn't hear him when he moved, even at night when there was no one else around he moved like ghost.

"It is time you went home," he said.

"I'm almost finished with this quantum matrix," I said pointing at the bundle of circuit boards and wiring in front of me. "I'm going to finish the power boosters for the new battle bots."

"No, Billy," he said. "I mean it is time you went _home_-to Earth."

I froze, I was shocked, angry even that he would suggest such a thing.

"This is my home, Cestro."

"No, Billy, it isn't."

I shook my head and went on with my work. "You don't want me here anymore?"

"Do not mis-understand me Billy." His voice was soft, but had an edge to it that sliced me hard because it spoke a truth I didn't want to here. "You have been a valuable asset to us this last year, but…the one who brought you here is gone. And yet you stay."

"I like it here."

"Aurico says you do not sleep."

"I sleep fine." That was a lie. I couldn't sleep, especially not in that house, in that bed. I couldn't be there alone at all, it was too painful.

"You are a bad liar," Cestro said.

I kept working, ignoring him. He was right, and I knew it, but still wasn't ready to admit it.

"I will not force you to go," Cestro said. "But you know there are few opportunities to allow for safe travel between our worlds. There is a good window next week. If you wish to take it, I will be happy to assist you."

He gave a small bow and left the room quietly. I tried to go back to my work but I couldn't concentrate. I kept thinking of what he said. I could go back to Earth. It had only been a year and a half. That wasn't so long. Some of my friends could still be around, and I could see my dad again, maybe go to college. But the thought of leaving, I felt like I'd be abandoning Cestria and everything I'd built here.

_The one who brought you here is gone_. He was right. He was even right to bring up how I couldn't' sleep. I clung to our home because it was something that reminded me of her, but at the same time it tortured me.

I sighed and put away the tools I'd been using. I turned the light off in the lab and locked up. Then I went down the hall to Cestro's office. I knew he'd be waiting for me. He was sitting behind his desk, only the small lamp on his sideboard giving light to the room.

He sat up a little straighter in the chair when he saw me, but other than that, he didn't move.

So I took a deep breath, and said the words out loud. "I want to go home."

"And that was pretty much it for the next five years," Billy said settling back in the chair. "I came back, I went to school. Tried to start over."

"But you kept in touch, right?" Rocky said. "With each other."

"No," Dalla answered this time. "But that was my choice. I knew Cestro had means to keep in touch with Billy, but whenever he would offer to send a message I always declined. I didn't want to hold him back, you know. And then…

I guess it was right about four years after that when the pain started. I tried to ignore it at first but Cestria's death was still fresh in my memory, not to mention my own early health issues so I had myself checked out. The disease was back, the one that plagued me in my childhood. No one could figure out why the treatments had suddenly stopped working. It could have been anything, a change in my body, a retro-virus, any number of things. But it happened quick and the therapy Cestria invented didn't help.

After about two months Cestro appeared at my door.

"I'm sending a message to earth tomorrow," he said. "What shall I tell Billy of your condition?"

"You won't," I snapped. I may have been weak but I wasn't done fighting yet.

"He should know," Cestro replied.

"Why?" I asked. "So he can grieve for me too. He's had enough."

Cestro took a step forward. He was usually a quiet man, but he was also passionate, and always unwilling to give up on something he believed in. "And what do I tell him when you are dead and he asks me why you didn't want to say goodbye?"

"Tell him whatever you want then," I said. "Tell him I was selfish, tell him I didn't want to worry him. But don't you dare tell him the truth."

Cestro stepped back from the bed and gave a small bow. "Very well. I will not tell him the truth."

"The funny thing about Cestro is that truth is rather relative," Dalla said with a laugh. "When I told him I didn't want Billy to know the truth I meant that I was sick and likely dying. But Cestro knew another truth, one I hadn't even discovered myself, and he decided that this was the truth Billy didn't need to know."

"So there I was, back on Aquitar after five years," Billy said. "About to watch one more person I cared about die in front of me. I almost didn't come, but when Cestro offered, I couldn't say no. I couldn't let Dalla die alone like that. She was Cestria's best friend, and…she was my friend too.

"I didn't think I'd be able to do it. Standing there in that familiar hospital room, the machines and the computers buzzing away. Dalla on the bed asleep. It made everything come back, the endless days at Cestria's bedside, knowing that even with all my knowledge and skills I'd never be able to help her."

"I was trying to spare you that pain."

"It would have been worse if Cestro had told me over the communicator that you were dead."

"Damn Cestro."

"And it's not like you were happy to see me."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Dalla said when she saw me. "I told Cestro not to call you."

I almost laughed at her. Her skin was pallid and her eyes were dark and sunken, but she was still yelling at me.

"Cestro said you were dying."

"Cestro needs to mind his own business."

"So it would have been better for me to not be here at all?" I challenged. "To sit in class and work and have no idea you were lying here alone and sick and-"

"I didn't want you to have to live through that again," she said. "You don't deserve it."

I took her hand in mine. It was ice cold and that scared me more than anything.

"I never should have left," was all I could say.

"Yes you should have," Dalla replied.

I spent a lot of time talking to Cestro while I was there. He was working with her doctors to find a way to re-engineer the genetic manipulation treatments Cestria had designed. But so far nothing was working. They had a new formula on the board, but testing of it wasn't going well.

"We're missing something," Cestro said. "Something simple."

I looked over the numbers on the chart. I knew a little bit about bio engineering and DNA manipulation, but not near what Cestria had. The doctors had taken me through her charts and the new formula they were working on, and eventually I noticed something off.

"Is this her genetic sequence?" I asked showing Cestro a page from the new formula notes.

Cestro looked at it for a second the replied, "Yes, that's correct."

"Did the sequence change after Cestria's treatments?"

"Yes, the treatments re-sequenced target genomes."

"Then why are the numbers the same?"

Cestro looked at the paper again, then I showed him the medical records from when Cestria cured her the first time. The DNA sequences were in fact different, but the formula was being designed based on her original sequence, not her current one.

"This is why the tests are failing," he said. "Someone must have misread the numbers. I will get this to the doctors immediately."

It took three days to change the formula and test it, and the tests worked perfectly, but the treatment itself wouldn't be easy. Several days of injections and medicines and pain would be involved, and Dalla wasn't thrilled about it.

"No!" she protested when we told her. "I won't go through that again. I can't take it anymore."

"But it's going to cure you," I argued.

"That's what they said the last three times!" she shouted, or tried to shout, it wasn't very substantial, but I had to admire the effort. "You can't make me do it."

"Dalla," I stepped up to her side, but she refused to look at me. "Dalla, please."

"It hurts, Billy. I can't take the pain again. If it doesn't work-"

"It's going to work," I said firmly. "I know it is. You're going to get better and then…then you can come visit me in Boston."

Her eyes snapped open. "You want me to come to Earth?"

"Yes," I said, not really thinking about what I was really saying. At that point I would have promised just about anything to get Dalla to comply. "You learned all those Earth languages, you should get to use them."

"Everyone speaks English in Boston," she argued. "I know fourteen other Earth languages."

I laughed at that. "Lot's of people don't speak English in Boston. Trust me, a few rides on the T and you'll be in phonetic heaven."

"You'll come with me?"

"Of course I will," I said. "Anywhere you want."

"Okay," she said. "Okay. But this is the last time. If it doesn't work-"

"It will work."

"Just get it over with," she said with a sigh.

She reached and took my hand and I sat next to her on the bed and held her while the doctors worked. For three days I held her through the injections and the sickness and everything else. But by the third day it was obvious the treatment was working. She was sitting up in bed on her own and combining curse words in at least four different languages each time a doctor entered the room with a needle. By day five she was ready to leave the hospital, and I was ready to head back to Boston.

"Are you sure you want me to come?" Dalla asked. She was sitting up in the bed, fully dressed in her own clothes. The first day she was able to sit up she made me write a list of things she wanted from her apartment: toiletries, books, and even exactly which clothes she wanted. Now I was helping her pack them away to take home.

"Of course I do," I said. "I promised didn't I?"

She hesitated before answering. "I just thought…maybe you didn't mean it like that. Like you were just saying it to get me to cooperate."

"I was saying it to get you to cooperate," I said. "But that doesn't mean I didn't mean it. Are you sure you don't want a few more weeks to recover? You don't have to come back with me now."

I hadn't really expected her to want to come right away. I still had a month until the semester was out, plus I was working part time.

"It's easier if I go now," she said. "I'm still on leave from the Ambassador's office. If I go back it will be months before I can take leave again."

"Alright then," I said. "Well go to Earth."


	6. Heartbreak Hangover

Obligatory disclaimer: I own nothing of the Power Rangers nor do I know who currently owns them. Any other questions?

Kimberly picked at the breakfast spread laid out in front of her. Bulk and Skull were sparing no expense on this reunion weekend. There was everything anyone could want for breakfast at the buffet in the lobby. Fresh fruit, pastries of every kind, cereal, even an omelet bar manned by a tall thin chef with dark hair and a very curly mustache who spoke with a thick French accent.

Kim wasn't very hungry so she simply selected a few pieces of fruit and a muffin. The crowd in the dinning hall was huge. She couldn't believe how many people had turned up for the reunion. She wove through the bodies looking for an empty table. There wasn't a single one to be found. She was debating on going back to her room when she spotted someone familiar.

Tommy was sitting at a table for two near the wall. He had a folded paper, a half eaten bagel and a cold cup of coffee in front of him. His was looking down and dark circles were forming under his eyes as if he hadn't slept much recently.

She approached him casually, then suddenly froze. What was she doing? She didn't have any right to sit with Tommy. They had barely spoken two words to each other since that night on the beach. Not to mention nearly twelve years of silence before that. For all she knew he still hated her for breaking up with him all those years ago. She turned around, intending to go back to her room.

"If you're going to sit you better do it soon before someone else takes it," came the deep voice behind her.

Kim turned and saw Tommy looking straight at her. She felt her face get hot as she stood there holding her meager breakfast in front of her.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" she said.

Tommy shrugged. "May as well, you won't find another seat in here for awhile."

Kim sat down in the chair opposite Tommy and picked at her breakfast. He continued starring down at his paper, but she could see his eyes weren't focused.

"So," she said deciding to attempt a little conversation. "Are you enjoying the reunion?"

Tommy looked up at her as if she'd just spoken in Latin. "What?"

"The reunion," she said, trying very hard to keep her voice cheerful. "It's been great seeing everyone again."

"Yeah," Tommy said and looked back at the paper.

"Of course, I feel bad too," she said. "Because I haven't kept in touch with anyone. Everything's changed so much, I feel like a missed it."

Tommy nodded but didn't look up. "Yeah, me too."

"Especially, Billy," she went on. "Can you imagine changing your whole life for someone, moving away from your friends and family and then losing them so quickly?"

She thought back to the story she'd heard last night. After getting through Dalla's illness and visit to Boston Billy had insisted on stopping the story for now and hearing everyone else's tales. There's been protest of course, but they'd promised to all go out to dinner tonight and tell the rest. Kim felt like the Sultan of Arabia, waiting all day for Scheherazade to come and tell him another story.

Tommy scoffed and shook his head. "Yeah. Makes you think wonder if it's really worth it to love someone at all."

Something snapped in Kim at that. "And I suppose it's better to be alone?"

Tommy looked up suddenly, eyes wide. "What? I didn't mean-"

"Of course you did," Kim shot at him.

"I didn't, Kim, I swear," he said. "I don't know why I even said that."

Kim just glared at him. This was the exact reason she hadn't wanted to sit down with him. The longer she was around him the more likely it was that they'd have to have this conversation.

"You think I meant it about you," he said. Not a question, just a statement of fact. Kim was relieved to see Tommy hadn't lost his excellent powers of observation.

"What else would you mean?"

Tommy started. "I just meant…I don't know. It's Billy, Kim, maybe this is wrong, but out of all of us, I never would have wanted Billy to go through that. And then the way he was last night, you saw the way he looked at Dalla. How do you do that? How does anyone go through that and come out so happy?"

"I don't know," Kim said. "Maybe you're just underestimating Billy."

"Maybe we always did." He reached for his coffee then and took a sip, grimacing as he realized it had gone cold.

Kim laughed at that and Tommy did too. She felt the tension soften between them and thought maybe it was time to just be honest. After all, he'd just been very honest with her.

"I'm divorced," she said. "Just finalized last week."

Kim saw a slight twitch in Tommy's jaw, but other than that his face stayed solid. He was always good at that, keeping himself under control, unreadable. "Oh," he said evenly. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be," Kim said. "You of all people have the right to gloat."

"Why would I do that?"

Kim raised an eyebrow. "Because he was the one…the one I wrote you about."

This time Tommy didn't do such a good job at hiding his emotions. His face was tight and he swallowed hard. "How was I supposed to know that?"

Kim just shook her head. "It doesn't matter. But go on a gloat if you want to. You deserve it."

Tommy shook his head. "You know I'd never do that."

"You should," Kim said.

Tommy scoffed again, softer this time. "All I ever wanted was for you to be happy," he said. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. Ancient history. For what it's worth, I am sorry."

Kim nodded, surprised that the sentiment was actually worth a lot. "Thank you." She let the words hang in the air a bit then added. "I'm sorry too. You deserved better."

Tommy just nodded and they sat there in silence while she picked at her breakfast.

"What are you're plans for today?" she asked in an attempt to bring back a normal conversation.

Tommy shrugged and sat back in his seat. "I don't know. There's an open house at the school this afternoon, but I don't know if I want to go."

"Yeah, me neither," Kim said. "Maybe I'll call Trini and some of the girls. We could take Dalla shopping for the baby."

Tommy started laughing and at first Kim thought he was thinking how typical that her first thought was still to go shopping. Then he said what he was really thinking. "You just want to get Dalla alone so you can hear the rest of the story first."

She felt her mouth drop open at this. "I do not!" But she couldn't deny she was curious. She did want to know the end of the story, more than she could admit.

"Okay, maybe a little."

Tommy laughed again. He folded his paper over and picked up his coffee. "Good luck with that," he said. "Dalla doesn't strike me as the type of person who would give anything away easily."

Kim smiled. "I have my ways."

Tommy's smile was genuine as he stood. "I know you do, Kim. You always have."


	7. Beachfront Property

Obligatory disclaimer: I own nothing of the Power Rangers nor do I know who currently owns them. Any other questions?

*****

Tommy stepped out into the hot sand of the hotel's private beachfront. The sun was already high in the sky and the beach was filled with people. For this weekend only Bulkmeier's had opened its beach property to families of those attending the reunion, even if they weren't hotel guests, and it looked like just about everyone was taking advantage of it. Hundreds of wooden beach chairs had been set out in the sand Tommy had to walk until he was nearly at the property fence to find one open. It just so happened it was next to Billy Cranston, sitting cross-legged on a hotel print towel, with a laptop on his knees.

"I thought you were supposed to be on vacation," Tommy said standing over his friend with his hands on his hips.

Billy looked up and his shoulders hunched a little in guilt. "I am," he said. "Don't tell Dalla. I promised her I wouldn't work this week."

Tommy laughed and sat down in the open chair. "You shouldn't make promises you can't keep," he said. "That's like a cardinal sin of marriage isn't it?"

Billy laughed. "Yeah, something like that."

"Hey! Is this the day for the beach or what?"

Both Tommy and Billy looked up to see Zack standing over them, Bulkmeier towel in hand. He walked around Billy and slapped him on the shoulder.

"You're wife abandon you too?" he said.

"Yeah," Billy said. "Kimberly organized a shopping trip."

Zack laughed and punched Billy's shoulder playfully. "I hope you have some of that forty million locked away in a Swiss bank account because that's the only thing that'll keep Kim from spending it at the mall."

Tommy and Zack laughed but Billy was sitting back in his chair looking a little apprehensive. "You do realize that not all of that money is mine," he said.

"Of course not," Tommy said. "We were just kidding."

"Yeah, man," Zack said. "But seriously. How much did you see?"

Billy shook his head. "Not much," he said. "The university took a pretty big cut, plus Harvard made a claim. There were the paten fees and taxes, and six other members of the team. Wasn't much left after that."

"No retirement in the Camions then," Tommy said.

Billy scoffed. "Not even close. Just enough to put me in debt with a new house, and car, plus all the stuff for the baby."

They all laughed but were interrupted by shouting and looked up to see Rocky walking along the beach after two blonde girls. The girls were at a run and Rocky had to yell at them to wait every few minutes. An older woman followed carrying a young boy and followed by a dark haired boy who was carrying a large beach bag. Adam came up close behind with his daughter. Rocky stopped and claimed two open chairs that were just in front of the row Tommy, Billy and Zack occupied and set about unloading all the beach goodies they'd brought along and overseeing sunscreen application.

"Hey, guys," he said in greeting.

They all greeted Rocky and his mother, smiled before herding the children to the water. She took the baby and followed the other children to the water and Rocky sat down on the chair and sighed.

"Rough day?" Tommy asked.

Rocky laughed. "Dude, I have four kids. Rough day doesn't cover it."

Tommy clapped Billy on the shoulder. "Better give Billy here some pointers. That'll be his life soon too."

Rocky snapped to attention. "Seriously? Dalla's pregnant?"

"Not yet," Billy said. "Still trying."

Rocky laughed. "Lucky you," he said. "I didn't even get to try. One minute I have a studio apartment and hot girlfriend, next thing I know I'm changing diapers and watching Sesame Street."

"Ever regret it?" Tommy asked.

Rocky let out a sharp laugh. "Hell no!" He looked out at the shore line where one of the twins was dumping wet sand on the other while his mother stood over them screeching in Spanish. "Best job in the world."

*****

After about two hours of walking the mall the women decided to break for lunch. Kimberly had organized the trip to the mall, but they hadn't stayed together the entire time. Tanya and Aisha had wandered down towards a specialty music store together while Silvia and Trini hit it off over a sale on women's business suits in one of the larger department stores. Kim tried to stick with Dalla as much as possible, worrying she might feel left out since she didn't know the others. Neither did Silvia, but since her and Trini had so much in common, she'd left her best friend to deal with Rocky's wife and took to entertaining Billy's.

But they all agreed to meet for lunch at twelve-thirty in the food court and now they were one group again. They all sat down, and took turns showing off their purchases and finds and discussing other places they wanted to go. But eventually the conversation died down and Kim worried things would get awkward so in an effort to fill the silence she turned to Dalla.

"So do you like Boston?" she asked.

"Oh, I love it," Dalla said. "It's great, the parks are so beautiful, even in the winter, when it snows and the lakes freeze over it's the most romantic site you've ever seen."

"Was it hard?" Kim asked. "Adjusting to living here? Do you miss your home?"

Dalla furrowed her eyes in concentration and Kim felt she'd perhaps crossed a line. She'd just asked a very personal question, one Dalla might not be keen to answer in public.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I don't mean to be personal. You don't have to answer."

"No," Dalla said. "I never really felt like I had a home planet. I left Illumen when I was five and I didn't see it again until I was an adult. Aquitar was a home to me but it's such a different planet, everything underwater. My body wasn't built for that so I had to make adjustments." She laughed at that. "That was one of the few things Billy and I had in common from the beginning."

Silvia leaned forward on the table then. "Okay, I have to ask this. He was your best friend's husband. Did you always know you were in love with him?"

Kim was a little taken aback by Silvia's honesty, but she couldn't help being curious as well. They were all curious as to how someone could end up in that precarious situation.

But Dalla didn't act offended. Her eyes softened and she spoke evenly. "No," she said. "I wasn't always in love with him. In fact, up until Cestria got sick I always thought I didn't like him. He was quite and awkward and…different, but then so was Cestria so I figured it was a good match. It was her death that made me realize what a great man he was, but even then it wasn't love, but a respect, an unspoken understanding.

"It was like we were soldiers on the same battlefield, but fighting for the woman we loved…

*****

When Cestria was in the hospital Billy was at her side the whole time. I unfortunately had to keep working so I wasn't there as often. I felt guilty about that so when I was there I did everything I could to make things easier on both of them. I ran errands, and fetched water and food and clothes, whatever they wanted. Billy always said I was doing too much, but I owed Cestria my life, and anything short of saving hers would never be enough.

There was another reason I wanted to run the errands so much. It gave me a chance to be alone. When I was working I had to maintain my decorum because I dealt with so many different people. And at the hospital I had to stay strong for Cestria. So when they would send me to fetch drinks or a book to read I could walk the halls of the hospital alone and it didn't matter if anyone saw me cry or break down.

There was a private waiting room around the corner from Cestria's hospital room and sometimes I would go down there and just sit and let everything out on my own. I never wanted Cestria to see me like that. She'd always been so strong when I was sick and I wanted her to think I was strong too.

The day before Cestria died she took a turn for the worse, and it crushed me. I found an excuse to leave the room almost immediately and went to my private spot. I'd just broken down when I heard the door open and Billy stepped in. He looked horrible, his eyes were dark and his skin was almost as pale as Cestria's. I knew he hadn't slept in days. From his look I thought he was angry with me for leaving Cestria. I didn't know how to explain to him that I couldn't let her see me like this.

But he didn't say a word. He just walked over and sat in the chair next to me and put one arm around my shoulders and pulled me in to his chest. He held me there while I cried and for all I know he cried to.

And we both sat there holding each other for, I don't know how long, until finally the tears were gone and I couldn't cry anymore. I sat up and wiped my face and looked over at Billy.

He leaned over and kissed me on the forehead and whispered, "Thank you."

Then he stood up and held out his hand. I took it and he walked me back to Cestria's room. He didn't say a word about what happened ever again, but for the rest of the day I would look up and see him just looking at me with this odd gaze, and I would know he was thinking about it and I would manage to smile at him and he would always smile back.

*****

"And that's when you knew you were in love with him?" Trini said.

"I didn't realize it then, but that was definitely when I started to think about him differently," said Dalla. "I didn't think of love until he came back when I was sick. But I think I did fall for him before that."

She paused for a moment as if decided how best to choose her words. "He called me the day before he left for earth, after Cestria died that is. He said he wanted to say goodbye and thank me for being so helpful and such while she was sick. At first I was just polite. Taking care of Cestria was no big deal, and him leaving seemed like the natural thing to do. But the rest of the day I couldn't let go of the thought of him leaving. I knew I'd never see him again and somehow a phone call didn't seem like enough…"

*****

He answered the door and his eyes went wide with surprise.

"What are you doing here?"

I shook my head. Cestro had gotten him a small room near the Aquitian Rangers Command Station. It was above the surface of the water and there was a storm raging that night. I'd had to walk through the rain from the tram station and was dripping by the time I made it to his doorstep. The windows were black and streaked with the rain pouring over the smooth glass.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I probably shouldn't be here but…I felt like I should see you before you left."

"You didn't have to come all this way," Billy said.

I nodded, water ran from my hair across my cheeks. "I know, but I did and I'm soaked so can I come in?"

He nodded and stepped back for me to enter. The room was small, only large enough for a bed and a small desk with a few feet to walk around and a small bathroom, no bigger than a closet adjoined behind the bed. He ran to the bathroom and brought back a towel for my hair and took my coat and hung it over the back of a chair to dry.

"I didn't mean for you to come out here," he said. "When I called-"

"I know," I said quickly. I hadn't really thought about what I would say, or do once I got there, all I knew was I needed to be here. I needed to see him go. I thought it was for Cestria, and maybe it was, but it was also for me. "I just needed to see you."

There wasn't much place to sit so Billy sat down on the bed and I sat next to him. We didn't say anything for awhile. Finally Billy tried to break the silence.

"Are you staying until tomorrow?"

"Yes," I said. "I want to see you off. I thought someone should."

He nodded but didn't say anything and I knew we were both thinking of Cestria. That was why I was here. For Cestria, for the man she loved.

"Where will you go when you go back?"

He started at this but then sighed. "To Angel Grove at first," he said. "After that, I don't know, college I guess."

"You'll be okay?" I asked. "You have family and friends there?"

Billy nodded. "My dad still lives there. I don't know about my friends, I haven't kept touch with them much. I'm sure some of them will still be around."

"Good," I said. "You shouldn't be alone."

"What about you?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I'll be here. Aquitar is my home, such as it is."

He opened his mouth like he was going say something, but thought better of it went back to looking at the floor.

"Are you excited?" I asked. "You haven't been home in two years. You must be nervous."

"It didn't seem like so long when I was planning it," he said. "Now…I don't know. So much has changed."

I nodded.

"I'd just gotten used to thinking of Aquitar as my home," he said. "Now…"

He was looking down at his hands which were braced against his thighs, as if they were the only force holding him up. Without thinking I reached out and put one of my hands over his. "But Earth is your home. No matter how long you stayed here, you'd still feel like you belong there."

"Is that how you feel?" he asked a dry edge in his voice. "When you go back to Illumen?"

I answered automatically. "It's different for me," I said. "I was raised on Aquitar. I never knew my home planet, I didn't have friends there, or family. My childhood memories are of hospital walls and underwater sunrises, and…" I stopped myself there. My next words were going to be "and doctors faces," but I couldn't say it. It was strange that that was the first memory I had of life, and for Cestira it was the last. It wasn't fair.

"It's just different," I said finally. "You had a life before you came here. You should be allowed to go back to it."

"I don't want to go back to it!" he shouted suddenly. He pushed me away and jumped up from the bed. "You sound just like Cestro. I didn't want to come here in the first place, I did it because he needed me and they didn't! They didn't need me anymore. But here they wanted me, she wanted me!"

I didn't know the whole story back then, about how he lost his powers and couldn't fight anymore. But I did know about not being wanted. All my life I'd been an outsider in my world. Illumen's didn't like me because I was raised on Aquitar and didn't understand the Illumen culture the way they did, and Aquitians didn't like me because despite the fact that I acted and spoke like them in every way, I was clearly not one of them. Cestria was my first and best friend my whole life, and I realized that in a way, she'd been the same for Billy.

"She loved outsiders," I said softly. "It's a wonder she didn't take in strays."

Billy stood over me and I saw his face relax. "I think she did."

He was right. She'd taken in the strays. The two people on her planet who loved her most weren't even from there. We sat there several seconds just thinking about that, letting the moment pass between us.

I was the first to break it. I stood up and moved closer to him. He didn't flinch when I raised my hand and touched his face. I'd never touched him before, not in any intimate way anyway, but it felt right. He was the last connection I had to my best friend, and I was the same for him, I suppose. Either way I found myself wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him close. His arms went around my waist and held me against his body.

There was a rather large clap of thunder and we both jumped but didn't let go.

"She was all I had in the world," Billy whispered in my ear.

"No," I said. "She wasn't."

He shifted then, moving away from me, but still holding my waist. His forehead leaned against mine and I remember there was a flash of lighting and thunder at the same time and lights went out. Then a second flash that lit the room for only a second, but it was enough. I felt his lips press to mine and it was like losing consciousness. I knew, somewhere in my mind it wasn't right, that one of us should stop this, but we didn't. Something about the situation, the storm, but loss, the anger. All of it came out as we came together.

*****

"So you…" Tanya made a circular motion with her hand, hesitant to say the word out loud.

"Yes," Dalla said without reserve.

"So that's how you fell in love with him," Trini said from her spot at the end of the small table.

Dalla laughed. "Not exactly. Unfortunately, love is a lot more complicated than that. At least it was for us."

"So what happened after that?" Kimberly asked. She realized at some point that she was too desperate to know the story to worry about etiquette anymore. "The next morning?"

Kim watched Dalla's face fall and she rested her face in her hand which was propped against the table, temporarily hiding the expression on her face. Then she turned to Kim who was sitting next to her and her guilt was clear.

"Nothing," she said. "I woke up before he did the next morning and left. I watched his departure from the observatory where he couldn't see me."

"You didn't say goodbye?" Tanya said incredulously.

"He wasn't the one I needed to say goodbye too."

There was quiet for a moment, then Trini spoke again. "So, when he returned while you were sick…?"

Dalla looked up from her salad, which Kim noticed she'd only been picking at and looked at Trini. "Well, that's part of the story I was saving for tonight."

"Oh, tell us now," Sylvia said.

"No, we should wait for the boys," Kim interjected.

"She's right," Trini said. "I promised Zach I wouldn't pry any more of the story out of you first. He's a bigger sucker for a romance than I am."

Dalla smiled and pushed her uneaten food away. "I'm done," she said. "We should probably get going."

The others stood up and began to gather their bags, but Kim frowned, her nursing instincts taking over. "You barely ate. You okay? We didn't stress you making you tell us that story?"

"Oh, I'm fine. My stomach's been upset lately."

"Upset stomach, and dizzy spells."

"It's nothing," Dalla said.

But the other women had overheard and were all exchanging knowing glances.

"I think we should make one more stop before we go back to the hotel," Kim said.

*****

**Okay, I'm going to stop here, but I do have two more chapters on the editing list. I really want to put as much into these stories as I can, and unfortunately that means I have to make you wait sometimes. But trust me, it will be worth it. **

**Remember: all reviews are welcome! **


	8. Blue Lines

Obligatory disclaimer: I own nothing of the Power Rangers nor do I know who currently owns them. Any other questions?

**I switched flash drives recently to have one dedicated solely to fanfiction, and apparently I forgot to upload a chapter. Found this one yesterday when I was re-reading some past chaps for inspiration. Special bonus for you guys. Enjoy!**

*****

Billy groaned as he hit the pavement for a second time. Tommy laughed as he came up from behind, holding out a hand to help him up.

"You're getting old, dude," Tommy said. "All those hours in the lab are making soft."

Billy snatched the basketball away from Tommy and moved across the court to take it out. "I'm no older than you," he said, and firmly shot the ball into Tommy's chest.

They played for several more minutes, Tommy, Billy, and Zach verses Rocky, Adam and Jason. But after only about twenty minutes they were all covered in sweat and had to give in to the fact that they'd all lost a few steps since they were teenagers.

They all took seats around a nearby picnic table and watched as the court was taken over by several kids in tank tops and baggy jeans.

"I gotta get back in shape," Rocky said breathlessly.

"Too much of that rich catered food," Adam teased. Rocky threw that basketball square at his chest and Adam caught it, faking being hit hard enough to knock the wind out of him.

"I'll have you know," Rocky said. "I do all the cooking in my house, thank you very much. The only time my wife cooks for me is on my birthday. There's drawbacks to having a wife who cooks for others all day."

"Kat's a great cook," Jason said. "She always picks the best stuff at the Youth Center."

Rocky nudged Billy who was sitting across from him. "Who cooks at your house?" he asked. "Have you finally learned your way around a kitchen or are you stuck with Aquitar cuisine?"

Billy's face flushed red and he looked down at his hands. "We always cook together."

All of the boys in unison gave a cutesie "Awwww," followed by a round of laughter. Billy was still looking down, his face approaching lobster red, but he was smiling.

"That'll change," Rocky said. "After the baby comes. Hope you're ready to fly solo."

Billy just shrugged. Zach let out a laugh from his end of the table and slugged Jason on the shoulder.

"All these guys getting hitched and having kids," he said. "Watch out, Kat's gonna get envious. You know how it is with that 'baby fever.'"

Jason just sighed and shook his head. "Not gonna happen," Jason said. "We've talked about it, but between the Youth Center and the house and both of us working two jobs…I'm in debt up to my eyes now. I can't bring a kid into that."

"How bad is it?" Billy asked and Tommy was a little taken aback by his sudden curiosity. But then, if it was bad, and any of them were in a position to help it would be Billy.

"We're three months behind on the loan payment. If we can't pay in two weeks we're in foreclosure. And there's some big shot trying to buy the loan out from under us. By next month we'll have lost the place either way."

No one spoke for several seconds. Tommy saw Billy nod to himself and then his gaze hit the floor. He wondered what his friend was thinking. Knowing Billy he was calculating how much of the project money he had left and could afford to part with. Tommy found himself doing the same thing. He'd sunk all of his savings and grant money from the Mercer project into the new house and custom secret lab in Reefside. He'd only spared enough to live off of until the school year started, but there were other ways for him to make money, and Hailey's business was good, she'd help him out until the school kicked in.

Jason's voice broke him from his thoughts. "Oh, it doesn't matter guys," he said. "We had a good run. I don't want to focus on it now, let's have some fun. How about we go back to the hotel and meet the girls before dinner? Kat's been working extra hard on the plans for tonight."

He stood up and picked up the ball from the table. The others followed and Tommy followed close behind Jason as they neared the Youth Center. He planned to pull Jason aside and offer help, but as he rounded the corner she saw Billy beat him to it. He was too far away to hear Billy's words but he was just in time to hear Jason's response.

"No, Billy," he said. "I know what you're going to say and the answer is still no. I'm not taking money from anyone, especially you. I appreciate your offering, but it's over. I tried and I failed, and you picking up the slack for me isn't going to make this place run better, or make up for my mistakes. I'm done. And don't go behind my back to Kat about it either, I don't want to get her hopes up."

There was a shuffling of footsteps and then silence. Tommy slowly stepped into view of the hallway and saw Billy standing there leaning against the wall in defeat. He looked up as Tommy approached.

"You heard all that?" he asked.

Tommy nodded. "I was coming to do the same thing," he said.

Billy shook his head. "He won't accept help from any of us."

"That's Jason," Tommy said. "He always had too much pride for that sort of thing."

Billy nodded. Then he looked around the hallway. "I've missed this place."

Tommy sighed and looked around too. So many memories here. He couldn't go more than three steps in any direction without being assaulted by some memory of the past. The doorway where he'd kissed Kim under the mistletoe every Christmas, the open gym where he'd taught countless classes, not to mention all the birthday parties, dances, and other celebrations. It was overwhelming just standing there, assaulted by the ghosts of his past.

"Yeah," he said. "Me too."

When they emerged from the hallway the other guys were ready to leave. Billy invited them all up to the suite to wait for the girls and that's where they were an hour later when all six of them entered, each wearing large goofy smiles that disappeared the second they saw the crowded room.

"Oh," Kimberly said. "We didn't expect you all to be here."

"Where else would we be?" Rocky said sarcastically.

Kim just shook her head. "Nowhere."

She walked calmly through the room greeting everyone and the other women followed suit but Tommy could tell something was up. They were planning something, something big that they didn't want the men to know about. Those suspicions were confirmed less than a minute later when Kim grabbed his arm and whispered in his ear, "I need you to get Billy out of here for at least ten minutes."

"What? Why?"

"Just do it," she bit out. "Ten minutes, then bring him back, now!"

Tommy sighed and looked around the room. How was he going to get Billy out of the room? He said the first thing that came to mind.

"Hey, let's go downstairs and get some more drinks for the girls," he said.

"We can call and have something sent up," Billy said. He shifted on the couch he was sitting on and reached for the phone.

Tommy opened his mouth to protest but suddenly Adam was in the way. "It'll be faster if we go ourselves." He grabbed Billy's arm and hauled him to his feet. Tommy quickly went to Billy's other side to block him from getting away.

"Yeah, let's all go," he said looking over at Jason, who was already headed for the door. Tommy was pretty sure by that point that each of the girls had mentioned leaving to the others the same way Kim had said it to him. He didn't know what they were up to but it was obviously important and he knew from experience that arguing was only going to make it worse.

When they got to the hallway Billy shrugged out of their grip.

"What's going on?" he demanded.

Tommy put a gentle hand on his shoulder and kept him walking. "Dude, I have no idea what you're talking about."

Billy shrugged out of Tommy's grip but kept moving forward. "Tommy."

Tommy stopped and looked Billy in the eye. "No, seriously, I have no idea. Let's just go with it, okay? We'll find out soon enough."

There was a vending machine at the end of the hall and after they'd dispensed enough sodas to satisfy the girls they headed back. Tommy looked at his watch on the return trip but he hadn't taken note of the time when they'd left so it didn't do much good. He hoped he'd given Kim enough time for whatever she was planning.

Billy unlocked the door when they returned and burst into the room. Kat, Trini, Sylvia, and Tanya were sitting down chatting about something, but the conversation stopped when they entered. Kim was standing at the doorway to the bedroom and Dalla was nowhere to be seen.

Tommy smiled and tried to ignore that fact. They handed out the drinks and tried a few times to restart the conversation, but Billy was restless. Then there was a shriek from the bedroom and Kim disappeared, Billy was across the room in a second and by the time he hit the door the shrieks had doubled and he crossed the room and made it to the door just as it was pulled open and Dalla came rushing out. She went straight to Billy and threw her arms around his neck.

"It's positive!" she said. The she pulled back and kissed him full on the lips and Tommy noticed something thin and white clenched in her hand. Realization hit him just as Dalla pulled back and confirmed it. "I'm pregnant!"

A chorus of cheers and gasps went through the room, but Billy just stood there, immobile, staring at his wife wide-eyed. Dalla thrust the pregnancy test into his hand. "It's positive. We're going to have a baby."

Tommy almost laughed as he saw Billy stare dumfounded for several more seconds, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing, then slowly realization crept across his face and he let out a small laugh. Then he looked up at Dalla and wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. "Sweetie that's wonderful," was all he managed to say.

The next few minutes were a blur of hugs and pats on the back and well wishes. Tommy joined the foray until he saw Kim hanging back by the bedroom door. He disjoined himself from the crowd and sidled up to her.

"You planned this, didn't you?"

Kim smiled and looked at the floor. "Not exactly, but it worked I better than I hoped."

He watched her another second as she kept her eye on their friends. He realized that was the first time he'd seen her smile all weekend. Not once could he remember her smiling, even in the slightest since they ran into each other on the beach the day before. What he didn't expect was to realize how much he missed it.

Things were starting to settle down around Billy and Dalla when Billy's cell phone went off. He pulled it out and a panic look came over his face.

"Oh, I almost forgot, there's something I need to take care of." He looked at his wife, now the future mother of his child and Tommy could see the heartbreak on his face at leaving her so quickly after learning the happy news.

"It's okay, go," she said. "It's important."

"What do you need?" Jason asked. "One of us can help."

Billy shook his head. "Its a little surprise I arranged for tonight. I have to go, but I'll see all of you at the Youth Center."

He kissed Dalla goodbye and everyone moved off to let them have a private moment, and then he was gone.

*****

**Don't forget to review! I do so enjoy it!**


	9. First Dates and Bad Champange

Obligatory disclaimer: I own nothing of the Power Rangers nor do I know who currently owns them. Any other questions?

*****

The reunion was planned to span the entire weekend. The main party on Friday at the Youth Center, activities all day Saturday ending with a dinner/dance at Bulkmeier's, and a Farewell Brunch Sunday morning in Angel Grove Park. Kat wanted to attend all these events, but she also felt the need for something more, which is why she asked Jason to close the Youth Center early on Saturday and planned a special private dinner for their friends. Just for their friends.

She'd left the group at the hotel early to go back to the Youth Center to close down, and set up for the dinner. The kitchen staff had everything ready when she got there and it only took an hour to get the tables set up and everything else the way she wanted it. Then she dismissed the last of the staff, and went to dress for dinner.

By the time she came out of the locker room, dressed in her favorite pink silk dress that she'd bought last year for her wedding anniversary the others had arrived.

Everyone complimented the setup she'd created. One long dinning table, large enough to fit all twelve of them in the center of the gym. She hadn't bothered with much decorating-wise because she wanted to preserve the memory of the place. This was where they came together as friends and as Rangers. It meant something special to each of them and she wanted them to be able to see it as it truly was, a solid gateway to their past. A bitter sweet reminder of better, and worse times.

She tried hard not to think about the fact that this was likely the last time any of them would get to see it this way.

"Kat this is perfect," Tommy said taking a seat next to Kimberly. Dalla sat on Kim's other side and Rocky took a seat two chairs down, leaving a space open for Billy.

"Thanks," she said. "I thought we all needed a chance to be together on our own, as Rangers."

There was silence when she said that and she realized everyone was looking away. It was the first time any of them had said it out loud. All weekend they'd been dancing around it. It was the thing that bonded them together stronger than any other force. The thing that made them friends, in some cases, the only thing.

"Rangers," Jason said. His strong voice, the voice of a former leader seemed to have the right effect. Everyone relaxed a little.

"Yeah," Tommy said. His own leader instincts kicking it. "The Power Rangers back together."

Everyone smiled at that and the tension eased.

"Dinner's ready," Kat said. "Should we get started?"

"Billy's not back yet," Kim said, but it was a moot point because the words had barely left her lips when the former Blue Ranger entered.

He was breathing hard and his eyes were wide. For a second Kat saw him as the old Billy, the excited boy genius coming to tell his friends of his latest invention or breakthrough.

"Hey, guys," he said. He took in the room for a second then continued. "I'm glad you haven't started yet, I have a big surprise."

"You said that before," Tommy said. "What is it?"

Billy took a deep breath, drawing back his shoulders. "Well, you may have noticed there's someone missing from our group. Just before we became Zeo Rangers the timeline changed, and with it someone made a choice to make that change permanent. But all of us still remember, I don't know if it's because of our powers or not, but our memories weren't affected, and neither were hers."

"What are you talking about?" Kim said.

Billy smiled and took a step back towards the entrance. He turned to the door and shouted, "Come on in."

A tall woman with long braided hair stepped through the entrance. A gasp went around the room. She had aged quite a bit; her skin was hard, creased beyond its years, but still attractive on her deep brown skin. Her hair was in hundreds of tight braids that hung to just above her shoulders. She was lean, but still well muscled and her eyes were still bright. There was no mistaking her face but as if to prove her membership she'd donned a knee-length yellow skirt that flowed around her thin legs in bright waves.

Kim was the first on her feet, racing across the room to her former friend. No sooner had she wrapped her arms around the woman than the others were crossing the room to do the same.

"It's so good to see you guys," Aisha said as Kim released her. "I had no idea…after all this time…"

"We could never forget you," Tommy said. "How was this possible?"

"Dalla has a friend who works for the Nigerian Consulate," Billy explained. "I asked him to do some digging and he actually found her."

"I was working at the university in Kenya," Aisha said. "I knew who Billy was as soon as he called. I broke down and cried right there in the Admin office."

They all took their seats, Kat had to rush to get another place setting, but there was plenty of room, and food and everyone was talking, and laughing, catching up and telling stories.

Then suddenly Tommy stood up. "I have something to say," he said.

"Not long ago I was called back by Alpha to stop the Machine Empire from attempting to resurrect Serpentera. Jason came with me and we all succeeded. But while I was there I also had a chance to talk to Andros about what happened in the Dark Fortress.

"Zordon gave us our powers, he also gave us his wisdom and guidance through everything, and in the end he gave his life to save the Rangers. No matter how many changes the team went through, no matter what monsters we had to face, he was there. I just wanted to take a moment to remember that, remember him."

Jason was the first to raise his glass. "To Zordon."

"To Zordon," they all repeated and drank. Kat had to hold back her grimace as she sipped the sour drink. She found herself wishing she'd spent more on the champagne, her friends deserved better, Zordon deserved better. Everyone was silent, but it was obvious what they were all thinking. Kat could suddenly think of nothing but the memories of her days as a Ranger. She hadn't been with the group long, but she never forgot her hand in nearly killing Kimberly, or her joy when the Pink Ranger selected her as her successor.

Then Jason started laughing. Everyone turned their attention to him as he said, "Do you remember the time…."

It went on like that for hours. One story after another, all the things they'd been dancing around and trying to say, but not say came out as if someone had opened a floodgate. They laughed and talked and told the stories over and over until they'd nearly retold their childhoods.

"We've come a long way since then," Billy said.

"Speaking of which," Tanya said. "I believe you still owe us a story."

Billy smiled but Dalla leaned over the table and gave Tanya a look. "Oh, we do, do we?"

"Yes!" several people at the table said together.

"You can't just leave us hanging," Rocky said. "You have to tell us how you finally got together."

Dalla and Billy exchanged glances. There were several moments of silence as their looks debated which of them would start first.

"Alright then," Billy said finally. "It started when I brought Dalla back to Boston with me…"

*****

I only had a one bedroom apartment in Back Bay at the time. It was close to the university and I hadn't had time to prepare anything. But Dalla loved Boston. Cestro teleported us in to a secure location several miles outside the city so we had to take a train in to get to my apartment. That was an experience. Every time Dalla heard a conversation in another language she had to step in test her own language skills. Luckily most people were happy to oblige.

It wasn't the taking Dalla around the city that I feared, it was having her in my apartment. I was dreading it more than anything else I could ever remember. I wasn't sure what to say, or even think about it. But Dalla, true to form never let anything get in her way.

We'd ordered out for dinner because it was so late by the time we got back to the city. Dalla was sitting at the table when I was done ordering.

"Do you want to watch television until the food gets here?" I asked. "Or we can look at some maps of the city, plan where you want to go this week."

She was looking up at me from the table. Her jaw was tight, and I could see the fire in her eyes across the room. My first thought was "what the hell have I done now?"

"Why don't you sit down?" she said. Her tone was even, not scary yet, but a chill went down my spine anyway. It was obvious she'd recovered all of her former strength since her treatment.

I sat slowly, as if moving too quickly would set fire to the tension in the air. Dalla was still, her hand rested on the table, her fingers didn't twitch in the slightest.

"If you're not going to say it, I will," she said. "The night you left Aquitar-"

"You don't have to say anything."

"I do." Her hand curled into a fist. "I don't want things to be odd with us. You're probably wondering why I left."

"I have a good idea," I said.

She shook her head, her eyes on the table between us. "That night wasn't about us." I shifted in my chair and she read my protest in the move and cut me off. "It was about Cestria. Everything between us back then was about her. I don't regret it, but I accept it."

I didn't answer right away. At first I wanted to deny it, but the more I thought about it, the more I knew she was right. Somewhere along the line I'd accepted that too. Everything from that time was about her, and now…well, now things were different.

"You're right," was all I could say.

Dalla smiled and nodded. "Good, then we can move on."

She stood up from the table and held out her hand to me. "Why don't you show me around?"

The evening went on like that, laughing and talking. It was comfortable, just relaxing with an old friend, no expectation, no worries.

We spent the week sightseeing. We went everywhere I could think of that would have history and tourists, and plenty of people to for Dalla to talk to. We even took a cab ride where the driver spoke a language Dalla didn't know. I think it was the highlight of the week.

But it was over too fast and before I knew it, Saturday had come and Dalla was going back to Aquitar. But I had one more surprise.

I didn't tell Dalla where we were going. When we walked up to the old building she asked and all I said was it was a movie theater. We bought tickets and went inside and Dalla asked me again.

"What is this? What are we doing here?"

I smiled. "We're seeing a movie," I said. "In Italian."

Her eyes lit up It was her favorite Earth language. The next thing I knew her arms were around my neck. "Oh, Billy, thank you."

"It's just a movie," I said. I was surprised at how comfortable I was. I was even more surprised when she pulled back only enough to see my face. Her arms were still around my neck and I didn't care.

"Thank you," she said again.

"I just wanted your last night here to be special," I said. "This was the best I could think of."

"It's perfect." Her voice was a whisper. She leaned her head in until it was against mine. I could feel her breath against my lips and I suddenly wanted her closer. My arm tightened around her waist and I leaned in just a little more.

Then the lights started to blink, signaling the show was starting and she broke away from me. I looked down at her, but she was staring at the floor.

"We should go in," I said.

Dalla nodded and headed for the theater. Afterwards, I left her in the lobby to use the restroom and came out to find her chatting with a small group of college students. They were from Italy studying at Boston U, and invited us down the street for coffee. We sat for hours talking, mostly in English, for my sake.

The night was warm yet so we decided to walk home. We were near the Common, Boston's biggest public park. We'd walked through it a million times the past week, nearly every time we came downtown. It was spring and the gardens were full of flowers in every color and shape. I loved walking the Public Garden, so I asked if she wanted to walk it one more time and of course she said yes. As we were walking I remember taking Dalla's hand. She didn't object and we just kept walking, not talking about anything in particular until we reached the footbridge over the Frog Pond. The park was empty tonight and she stopped on the bridge and looked out over the water.

"Oh, this has been such a perfect night," she said. "I don't want it to end."

"Me neither," I confessed. I was holding her hand as it rested against the wood railing. We were looking out on the water but I gave her hand a gentle squeeze and she returned it.

"I wish you didn't have to leave tomorrow," I said.

"I wish I could stay longer too," she said softly. "It's very nice here."

"You haven't talked much of home," I said suddenly. "Of your home, I mean."

Then she turned to me, her face was only half illuminated by the distant lights over the pond. "It's your home too. You know you'll always have a home on Aquitar right?"

"Yeah," I said. "I guess so." I looked over the water again. "It's strange though, like I'm part of two worlds. I love them both but, I never feel complete on either one."

I heard her make a scoffing noise. "I know exactly how you feel. I'm the same way."

"Worse," I said. "You're part of three worlds now."

Her head dropped to the water when I said that and I could see the streetlights reflecting off her hair. I leaned in a bit but she didn't move. My heart was beating loud enough for her to hear it but I knew I was too far to go back.

"Dalla," I whispered.

When she looked up at me I kissed her. I kissed her the way I'd wanted to kiss her at the movie theater, the way I'd wanted to kiss her since the day I brought her to earth but didn't fully realize until that exact moment.

And she kissed me back. It was perfect and sensual and for a nearly perfect minute we were locked into each other and it was just the two of us on that bridge tied together.

Then Dalla was pushing me away and my world shattered.

"No!" she said. "We can't do this."

"Why not?"

She shook her head. "We can't. This isn't us."

"I don't understand," I said. "I care about you, I know you care about me. What's wrong?"

"Do you care about me?" she asked. "Just me? Can you say you love me without it being about her? You can't leave her in the past. She'll always be between us. I can't have that. I can't love you knowing you're only there because I remind you of her."

I felt the anger well up in my stomach. Other than that first night she came to my apartment we hadn't said one word about Cestria. I hadn't even really thought about her, at least not in any way relating to Dalla and our relationship, whatever that was. At least I thought I hadn't. I couldn't believe she could put words in my mouth that way.

"You think the only reason I want to be with you is because I miss Cestria?"

"Isn't it?"

My breath caught. Did she really think that? "No! I loved Cestria, I loved her more than anything, but you…you're something different. I always knew that. I don't think I'm the one who can't leave her in the past!"

I saw her stiffen and her eyes glinted with tears. I knew my words stung her, and I instantly regretted it. I took a step forward and reached out for her but she stepped back.

"Dalla…please… I'm-"

"No," she said. "I heard what I needed too."

With that she turned on heel and walked away. I ran down the bridge after her but when I got to the end of the path it was too dark to see. I called for her several times, but she didn't answer. I went back to the bridge and sat down, not really sure what I was doing, but I waited there at least an hour and she didn't come back.

*****

"What did you do?"

Rocky asked the question, but only a second before Tommy was able. The murmurs around the table showed everyone wanted to know.

Billy just shook his head. "I went back to the apartment. I figured Dalla knew her way around the city well enough that she'd come back there when she was ready."

"And did she?"

Billy gave a little smile. Tommy didn't miss the fact that his hand squeezed Dalla's just a little tighter. "What do you think?"

"But you can't leave it at that," Tanya said. "We have to know the rest!"

There was more murmuring in agreement, but Tommy stopped listening to that when he heard a shuffling next to him.

"Excuse me," a soft voice said and he saw Kimberly get up from the table and walk away. No one seemed to notice as they chatted about Billy's story, but Tommy found his eyes following Kim to the doorway. Because of that he noticed that she didn't turn right as if she were going to the restroom, but left, towards the front entrance. He excused himself with a murmured excuse and followed Kim. He got to the door just in time to see it slam closed behind her.

*****

**Wow, really long chapter, and a long time in coming. Struggled with the big kiss scene with Dalla and Billy. It's so hard telling it from their first person POV cause I keep thinking Billy wouldn't give that much detail and have to remind myself to give more for the audience. Just keep thinking, he's not telling every word of this to the Rangers, this is for the reader's benefit! Let me know how it's working, send a review! **


	10. Renewal

Obligatory disclaimer: I own nothing of the Power Rangers nor do I know who currently owns them.

*****

"Kimberly! Kimberly, wait!"

But the former pink ranger didn't slow down. Even in the sand she still moved fast enough that Tommy had to run to catch up with her. He finally got close enough to reach out and grab her arm. The second he touched her she whirled around, hair in her face, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Just leave me alone, Tommy!"

"Kim talk to me," he said. "What is wrong?"

Kim took a few steps backwards in the sand to keep from stumbling and wiped the hair from her face. "I can't have children," she said. "Something about messed up hormones from all the years as an athlete. That's why he left me."

Tommy felt his heart sink and took another step forward. "Kim…"

But she backed away again. "Don't. I don't want your pity. I don't want any of you to look at me that way. Especially you."

Tommy took another cautious step forward. "Kim I would never…"

"Of course you would!" Kim said. "You of all people!"

She took another step back and began to fall. Tommy rushed forward and grabbed her arm, but she pushed him away, throwing them both off balance and landing in the cold sand. Kim immediately tried to move away, but she was too blinded by tears and rage and Tommy refused to let go of his grip on her arm. Kim was crying and she punched him hard in the chest but Tommy didn't move. She hit him again, and again, and he took it without a word until she exhausted herself and finally collapsed onto his chest, dissolving into tears.

"I forgave you a long time ago, Kim," he whispered softly when she was no longer shaking from crying. "I just wanted you to be happy."

"I don't remember what its like to be happy anymore," she whispered. Her hands wound around his waist and he pulled her closer, folding her into his chest the way he used to when she was upset over a bad grade or another fight between her parents. He would just hold her then, and holding her like that now made him realize, it had been a long time since he'd been that happy as well.

He didn't really know why he did it. Truth be told he wasn't thinking about it at all, he just reacted. For the first time in a long time he did something that wasn't planned, didn't have a purpose or a destiny or a consequence. He released his hold on Kim's shoulders and she moved away, looking up at him in the pale moonlight, her brown eyes still big and glistening with tears. Then he moved forward, pressing his lips to hers. She stiffened at first, then relaxed. One of her hands reached up and caressed the back of his neck, fingering the hair he'd cut short.

Before he even moved he felt her lips part and he slipped his tongue into her mouth reveling in the soft moan she produced when he did. He didn't stop there. He shifted in the sand until she was completely in his lap, and moved his lips to her neck. Her skin was still soft and he could smell the perfume she put on. He was shocked he recognized the scent, Obsession, same as she wore in high school.

_Very appropriate_, he thought as he trailed his tongue and lips down her shoulders, slowly pushing back the black silk to reveal more of the soft skin underneath.

Then there was a loud banging noise and suddenly the beach was flooded with spotlights. Both Kim and Tommy jumped as they realized they were only feet from the private beach lines of the Bulkmeier hotel. The large deck was quickly filling with formally dressed people coming out to enjoy the beach view at night.

"Kim," Tommy whispered, guilt and embarrassment washing over him. How could he have been so stupid, making out with Kimberly, and on the beach in the open. If they'd fallen only two feet to the right they would have been caught by the entire graduating class.

But when Kim turned back to him, there wasn't anger or embarrassment on her face. In fact she tightened the grip she had on his neck, and pulled him closer until their foreheads were almost touching.

"Take me back to your room."

It wasn't a suggestion or a request. It was an order. And Tommy didn't dare disobey.

*****

Kat stood at the top of the stairway leading to the juice bar and looked out over the youth center. Only a few of the back lights where on, the few that could be turned off as you left the building. Soon after Kimberly and Tommy left, Jason had suggested going over to the reunion. Most everyone had left and only she and Jason had stayed behind to clean up. Not that there was much to do, just throw away the dishes, cover the leftover food and push the table out of the way. Everything else could wait until tomorrow.

Kat took a deep breath as she looked over the room. She'd only been part of the team about two years, but it was to this day one of the most prominent experiences of her life. Knowing that in just a few weeks this could all be gone broke her heart.

There were soft footsteps behind her and then she felt the strong hands of her husband thread their way around her waist.

"Do you want to go?" he asked.

She sighed and let her hands cover his, leaning back against his strong chest. "Not just yet."

"It's not over yet," Jason said.

"Yes it is," Kat said. "We tried, we really did, but you were right. It's time to let go."

"One more dance?"

Kat smiled and squeezed Jason's hands. He stepped around her, taking her hands with him and lead her down the stairs. When they were at the bottom he pulled her into an embrace, his arms securely around her waist, and hers around his neck, her head resting lightly against his cheek. There was no music, but they didn't need it, they knew each other's rhythms so well they easily fell in step together and were soon swaying gently across the tile floor.

"I'm sorry I couldn't give you more," he said.

"It was enough," she whispered back. "More than enough."

He shifted enough for his lips to find hers in the semidarkness. She felt his warm breath as he teased her, brushing his lips over hers. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

He kissed her deep then, pulling her tight to his chest. Her hands automatically went tighter around his neck, fingers threading through his short hair. His hand trailed down her back and cupped her buttock tight for a second before trailing lower and lifting her leg to wrap around his waist. He didn't say a word but she knew exactly what he was going to do next, like she always did. It had always been that way with them, ever since she came back from Boston with her meager dance degree and an off-kilter dream of running her own dance studio. They'd met again by chance at a party, but something was different. They were drawn to each other in a way they hadn't been before. At some point they realized it was that they shared a connection they couldn't share with anyone else. They were more relaxed around each other, they didn't have to be guarded or worry about slipping. And it wasn't just with memories, Power Rangers were still a popular topic of conversation. The teams that came after made the news just as often as they themselves had and it was always a subject that was bound to come up. Alone, they were always in fear of slipping some piece of information gleaned from the instinct and behind the scenes knowledge, but together they were safe, they protected each other and when they were alone they had each other to share it with.

That connection had always made her feel safe with Jason and she knew he felt the same way. Even now, that everything seemed to be crumbling around him, he was there for her to hold on to. So when he pulled her other leg up around his waist she held on to his shoulders and kissed his neck as he carried her across the room, and when he laid her down across the gym mats she didn't object because she wanted him as much as he wanted her in that moment, and as long as she held on to him she knew she'd be safe.

It was a release for them both, release from the pain and the frustration, and an acceptance that it was over. And ending and a beginning, and they accepted it together, just as they always had.


	11. The Morning Afterall

**Obligatory disclaimer: I own nothing of the Power Rangers nor do I know who currently owns them. **

Jason took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Kat stirred against him and his arm instinctively tightened around her. They were still at the Youth Center. Light was beginning to seep in through the windows. He didn't realize he'd fallen asleep. Kat was lying contentedly on his chest, his suit shirt wrapped around her naked body to keep her warm. Her eyes were still closed, but he knew she was awake. He was glad, but nervous at the same time. There was something he wanted to say, something he couldn't stop thinking about and for some reason he felt he needed to say it now.

He leaned down and kissed Kat on the forehead. It hurt how much he loved her sometimes. The last few years had been hard, struggling to keep the Youth Center running, watching her make sacrifice after sacrifice to help him, all the while not complaining, just giving over everything she had to his dreams and passions like it was totally natural. He could never thank her enough for that, never repay her in a million years.

"Kat," he whispered softly. "Are you really okay with all of this? With just letting it go?"

Her eyes opened and she nodded against his chest. "I'll be fine," she said. "Are you? What are you going to do now?"

"I'll find something else," he said. "There are lots of dojos in town that know my reputation, I'm sure one of them will take me on, at least part time, and I can find something else to fill the gap, work at a store or something. And you can go back to teaching dance at a studio somewhere too if you want. You're so good at that."

"Yeah," she said.

"We'll be okay," Jason said. "As long as I have a steady job we'll be okay."

Her nod was the only response he got to that and he decided it was the best time to bring up the subject. "There's something else."

"What?"

"Well, I was thinking, once the mess with the Youth Center is settled and I get a regular job, I…I think we should have a kid."

Kat pushed herself upright and looked him straight in the eye. "You what?"

"We always talked about having kids one day," he said quickly. "If we hadn't bought the Center we'd probably have at least one by now."

Kat's expression was solid, but he could see her thoughts working behind her eyes. "What made you think of this?"

Jason just shrugged. "I don't know. A lot of things, this weekend, seeing Billy and Dalla, and even Rocky and his family. I've always wanted that. I had a good family growing up and I love being around kids. I just started thinking that it's not too late for us to have that too, if you still want."

Kat swallowed hard. Her eyes were wide and Jason worried he was wrong, that she didn't still want a family after everything they'd been through. After all, there were still so many things she could do. She'd wanted to open her own dance studio one day, his dream had interrupted that and a baby would definitely make something like that impossible. "You want to have a baby?"

"Well, I suppose we could adopt if you wanted," he said. "If you don't want to go through all that, I just…I want us to have a family. I know you have other dreams but…I just really want this for us."

She blinked and a tear rolled down her cheek. Jason felt his heart melt, thinking he'd said too much, that he was wrong, but then she kissed him, hard and he suddenly knew her answer.

"Yes," she whispered. "Yes, I want a family with you."

"Really?" he said.

"How could you think I'd say no?" Kat said. Her face was only inches from his and he wrapped his arms around her as she settled against him again.

"Your dancing and stuff, I thought you might want to pursue that again," he said.

"I can still teach dance," she said. "Like you with your dojos, I have a good enough reputation to get a job somewhere else. Maybe in a few years we can open our own, but it doesn't matter if we never do that's fine as long I have you supporting me."

He kissed her again and felt like a huge burden had been lifted form his chest. The Youth Center dream may have been gone, but his future wasn't. He still had her, and they had a new future now. Nothing else seemed to matter anymore.

"Can I take you home now?" he said, knowing full well he didn't need to ask.

"Yes," Kat said. "Let's go home."

Tommy woke to the sun shining in his face through the curtains. He felt the smile form on his lips as his body came awake. He was facing the wall on the edge of the bed. That disappointed him a little, he'd been looking forward to waking up in Kimberly's arms, having her be the first thing he saw when he woke up. He kept his eyes closed tight, determined to at least let the second part of that come true, and stretched a little before rolling over.

Last night had been beyond perfection, it was familiar and new all at the same time. They'd taken their time, exploring and rediscovering each other. Taking turns being in control, re-learning what the other liked. He was surprised at how open she'd been with him, how aggressive. He remembered her always being assertive in the bedroom, but he'd forgotten just how much she commanded, he also forgot just how much he loved that about her. He was a natural born leader, but he'd completely melted at her touch.

For the first time in a long time he felt hope. He'd told her everything about the Dino Gems and Messagog and Anton Mercer. All of his plans were laid out to her. He wanted her to join him in Reefside and help him form a new team of Power Rangers. He knew with her at his side he'd be a great leader again. She would be his support and his guide, just like always.

Tommy thought about all this again as he turned in the bed, reaching out to take Kim in his arms. But his thoughts were broken abruptly when his hand hit and empty mattress. He opened his eyes and saw the bed was empty. At first he thought maybe she'd just woken up and gone to the bathroom or back to her room for fresh clothes, but then he saw the note, folded carefully on top of the pillow, his name written on the top in her perfect flowing script.

He knew what the note was going to say before he opened it , but he forced himself to read it anyway, knowing it was the only way the words would sink in.

_I'm sorry, I can't do this. _

The hand gripping the note balled into a fist, crushing the paper with it. He buried his head in the pillow, fighting the urge to scream.

No. He shot out of bed. No way was she getting away easily this time. He'd let her go before, taken her word at face value once, and he saw what that did to her. He had been too crushed to fight for her last time, this time would be different.

He was dressed and out the door in seconds. Her room was on the floor below him and he went there first, racing out of the elevator and banging on the door. He called her name until one of the other tenants stepped out of their room and told him they'd seen her leave a few minutes before. Tommy mumbled a thank you and raced back to the elevator, then out of impatience abandoned that for the stairs.

"There you go," Skull said as he handed the receipt to the couple. "All checked out. Have a safe flight."

Bulk approached him from behind and placed a large stack of new brochures on the counter.

"I tell you Skull," he said. "Hosting this reunion was the best thing we ever did. We made a ton, and we've gotten at least five new reservations out of it."

"That's great, Bulky," Skull said. "It was a good weekend. It was nice to see everyone again too."

Bulk looked thoughtful for a moment, a half smile crept across his wide face. "It was, wasn't it?"

"Excuse me?"

Both of them jumped at the unexpected voice. "Oh, hey, Billy," Skull said.

"Hey, we heard the good news!" Bulk said. "Congratulations!"

"Oh," Billy said, a nervous smile crossing his face. "Thanks."

"How can we help you?" Skull asked.

"Uh, I have some business to take care of tomorrow, so I need to stay another day, is that a problem?"

Staying another day? Billy had the largest suit in the hotel! This was the best weekend ever. Bulk exchanged a glance with Skull and saw his friend was thinking the same thing.

"Sure," Skull said.

"Yeah," Bulk added. "Stay another week for all we care."

Billy just nodded. "Right. Thanks, I appreciate it."

He stepped back from the counter as if to leave when someone rushed up and knocked into him.

The tall man ran into the counter himself and it took Bulk a minute to realize it was Tommy. He looked terrible. His clothes were wrinkled and mismatched, like he'd just thrown on the first think he found on the floor. He was breathing hard, like he'd been running and there was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead.

"Have you guys seen Kimberly?" he asked.

"Kimberly checked out about ten minutes ago," Skull said.

Skull was right. Bulk remembered seeing Kimberly at the desk. She hadn't looked much better than Tommy did come to think of it. And she'd been testy. She'd snapped at Skull when he'd said that the farewell breakfast was this morning and asked her why she was missing it. That made him wonder why Tommy was looking for Kim. Neither of them had been at the dance last night either. Even more curious.

"Did she say where she was going?"

Bulk remembered her mentioning a flight. He also remembered her snapping something about not telling anyone she was leaving.

"Oh, well," he started. "She had, uh, a flight to catch and.."

"What flight?"

Bulk opened his mouth to say something professional sounding about privacy of his guests, but before he could speak Skull stepped forward.

"She's on the 8:25 to Boston. She asked me to make the reservation."

Tommy murmured a thank you as he pushed away from the counter and bolted for the door.

"Skull!" Bulk cried. "She told you not to tell anyone that."

"I know," Skull said. His voice was low…intense. Bulk couldn't remember ever seeing Skull so serious.

It had been no secret that Skull cared for Kimberly in high school. Since then he'd had few other relationships and always joked about the love of his life getting away. It wasn't until that moment that Bulk realized just how deep that care had been. He also realized that Skull had just given his last shot to another man.

Bulk smiled and clasped his friend on the shoulder. "You're a good man, Skull."

With a sigh he turned back to the counter in time to see the Billy was still standing there, unnoticed at the edge of the polished marble. The scientist was starring out the front doors that his friend had just left through.

"Almost had it," Billy said quietly. Then turned and walked back to the elevators.


	12. The Last Story

**Obligatory disclaimer: I own nothing of the Power Rangers nor do I know who currently owns them. **

Tommy sipped at his orange juice and blinked back the sun. His head was pounding and he wasn't really sure why he was here. The farewell breakfast was the last place he wanted to be, but Kat had called him not long after he'd returned to the hotel and begged. Even after all these years he couldn't say no to her. He couldn't say no to any of his friends. Maybe that was the real reason he'd avoided them all this time. Because he knew that eventually, he'd give too much and wouldn't be able to help them anymore.

_And now I'm off to ruin another teams lives_, he thought. _I can't do this_.

A movement to his left caught his attention and he turned to see Kat standing there, holding a steaming cup of black coffee.

"I thought you might like something stronger," she said.

Tommy just looked away, grateful the sunglasses hid the deep red tint in his eyes from the four shots of straight vodka he'd drowned himself in at the airport. He'd made it there two minutes after the plane hit the runway. He'd tried to get someone to stop it, contact the plane, anything, but with all the added security it was impossible, and he'd watched the passenger jet from a window take away his last shot at happiness.

So now he stood here, in the middle of Angel Grove Park, drunk and broken, surrounded by everyone he'd ever disappointed.

"I've had two already," Tommy said. "It doesn't help."

He saw Kat's shoulder's fall and her face give that little frown it got when she was disappointed, but determined to win.

"It wasn't your fault," Kat said. "Kim made her decision."

Tommy shook his head as much as he could stand without getting dizzy. "Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me."

"Tommy…"

"I never should have come here." He handed his glass of juice over to her and started walking back to his car. He passed Rocky with his four kids and successful wife, passed Adam and Tanya and Jason. Everyone had their perfect chance, their happiness; even Bulk and Skull were successful.

"Tommy! Tommy, wait up!"

Even through the haze, Tommy recognized the voice as Billy's, but he kept walking. He was done. He couldn't take it, no more favors, no more memories, nothing. He was going to the airport, he'd buy a ticket for the farthest flight he could afford and start over. It wasn't over.

"Tommy!" A hand grabbed his shoulder just as he reached his white SVU. Tommy whirled around so fast he sent Billy stumbling backwards.

"No!" he screamed. "No more! I don't want to hear it. Don't you get it?"

"Tommy!" Kat was running across the grass followed closely by the rest of the gang. Fine, Tommy thought, let them all hear it. I'm done!"

"I don't fucking care anymore! All of you, with your perfect fucking lives! I made you! I was the leader, I gave you everything I had. And then I left, I went out on my own thinking I would find exactly what I wanted and you know what I found. Nothing! Then I come back here and you have everything. Tell me, Billy, when is it my turn?"

He saw Billy grimace and the next thing he knew he was spinning. He hit the hood of his truck face down, his jaw aching.

"You stupid selfish prick!" He heard Billy's voice behind him. Strong hands grabbed him by the collar and spun him around. He pushed Billy away and swung hard, but Billy was too quick, and he felt Billy knee pound into his gut before hitting the cold dirt.

"Get up!" Billy's voice demanded. Tommy tried to move, but he could barely breathe, much less get his body to cooperate. He lifted his head and saw all of his former friends, everyone who'd ever been a power Ranger, standing around them in a circle.

He wasn't sure how long he laid there, trying to stand, but Billy must have gotten impatient because he felt the Blue Ranger's hands on his back again and he was pulled to his feet. Again he was spun just enough to face his attacker. Billy's eyes were aflame. Tommy couldn't remember ever seeing the quiet scientist so impassioned.

"I think you need a reminder of who exactly you are."

There was a cold rush of air and everything went white for several seconds. At first, Tommy thought maybe Billy had hit him again, this time hard enough to make him black out, but then the white dissolved and was replaced by a heavy grey and brown.

His feet were on solid ground and Billy was gone. Around him were large broken rocks and steel covering metal consoles that had once held computers and controls. The roof was caved in and the hot unfiltered light of the surrounding desert shone through.

"Take a good look." It was Billy's voice and Tommy turned to see him standing in front of what had been the wall holding their original uniforms. The glass preservation cases were crushed, and the costumes were gone. He realized he didn't even know what had happened to him.

"You think our lives have all been perfect since we left here?" Billy continued. "You think it was easy for any of us?"

"Billy, I didn't-"

"Didn't what?" Billy said. "You were my best friend Tommy! Before you, before the Power Rangers, I was nothing. I was the outcast, the nerd. Sure, the others were friends with me, tried to help, but you weren't like that. You accepted people for who they were, that's one of the things that made you a good leader. You didn't try to change the situation, you just found ways to make it work with what you had.

"I watched all of them. Jason, Trini, Zack, then Kim, and Aisha…all of them left. And every time a little piece of you went with them. Then I left you."

Billy shook his head and looked away.

"I'm sorry I disappointed you," Tommy said.

"You disappointed yourself!" Billy snapped back. "You chose not to let go. To let this be your life, your only legacy. And still, you're the one who gets the second chance. Do you think any of us wouldn't love to get to lead a team again? You were chosen, Tommy."

"How did you know about that?"

"You think I haven't heard of Hayley Ziktor? I begged her to join my team, she turned it down to help you."

Now Tommy really felt low. He'd been a complete fool about everything. He felt himself collapse on the floor. His whole body was shaking and the hot tears cut down his cheeks.

He heard Billy's steps on the sand-drenched floor. "What do you want Tommy?"

Tommy's breath caught in his throat as he tried to speak. He had to choke out the words. "I want the only thing I can't have."

"You haven't lost it," Billy said. "The past haunts all of us. We don't all learn to let go at the same pace."

I walked for hours after I left the park. I couldn't go back to the apartment, so I just walked around. I went by the building a few times, but the lights were out. Just before dawn I walked by the apartment and it was still dark, she hadn't come back.

I remembered that she was being picked up from a secure location outside the city. I don't know why, but I just couldn't go back to the apartment and miss her leaving, so I jumped in a cab and rode out to the spot.

The sun was just coming up over the trees when I walked to the coordinates. It was a small clearing in the middle of a forest reserve. I arrived just minutes before the pre-arranged time to meet. I ran through the trees, I had no idea what I was going to say when I got there, or what was going to happen. I just knew I couldn't let her go until I'd seen her one more time.

I hit the clearing and stopped dead. It was empty. There were marks on the ground from a shuttle landing. I'd missed her. She'd left without me.

I don't remember the ride home at all. I don't remember what time it was by the time I got back to my empty apartment. When I walked up the stairs, I was numb. I was alone again, at some point I realized that I was going to stay that way. The hallway was quiet at that time of day, and dark. The dark wood paneling always gave that place sort of a foreboding feel. Whoever said brown is a warm, calming color had a warped imagination.

She was sitting right outside the door. She saw me come around the corner and immediately stood up. We both stood there for several minutes just staring at each other.

"I thought you left," I finally said.

Her head shook, that beautiful brown hair falling into her face. "I couldn't, not like this."

"So you just missed your shuttle to say goodbye?" That came out a little more sarcastic than I meant it, but I realized I was still a little angry. I'd opened myself up to her and she'd accused me of using her. That wasn't something I was quite ready to forgive.

"I couldn't go because…you were right," she said. "I haven't been able to let go, and I projected those feelings onto you. I'm sorry."

"I wasn't trying to replace Cestria with you," I said.

"I know that," Dalla said. She took a cautious step forward. "I know you love me for me, and…I think I could love you for you, if you'll let me try."

I cleared the distance between us quickly, but then I hesitated. I wasn't scared, but I wanted the moment to last. I took her face in my hand and she closed her eyes and leaned into my palm just a bit. Her lips parted just a bit as I leaned down to kiss her. Her hands wove around my jacket, pulling me closer.

I rarely lose all sense of time, but I honestly don't know how long we stood there like that. But when we finally did break apart we still held on to each other.

"It's been a long night," I said. "We should go inside."

Dalla smiled. "Yes, we should."

Billy made a noise that sounded very much like a scoff. "This isn't the end of the story Tommy," he said. There was a clink as something hit the floor in front of the former White Ranger. "You just have to decide how you want it to end."

Then Billy moved away. Tommy reached into the sand and pulled out the thing Billy had dropped. He recognized it immediately as one of their wrist communicators. That must have been what Billy used to teleport them here. Then suddenly Tommy realized something, the communicators weren't capable of teleporting them, the teleporter was at the command center, the communicators merely controlled it.

"Billy, how-" But when he turned the room was empty. Billy was gone. Tommy pulled himself to his feet and looked around the heat-blasted room that had once been a second home. Now it was torn and battered, completely ruined by time and outside forces, and yet, here in his hand was proof that something here was still useful.

Tommy gripped the controller tight in his hand. Somehow, he could relate.


	13. Bright Shiny Monday

**Obligatory disclaimer: I own nothing of the Power Rangers nor do I know who currently owns them. **

Kat found herself smiling as she poured the smoothies into the bright colored glasses that were a staple of the Youth Center. It was a beautiful Monday morning and for the first time in years she felt free. With a dancer's grace she hadn't felt in years she lifted the tray the smoothies were on and took them to the couple waiting at the end of the counter.

As soon as she had set the drinks down she heard laughter and saw the Billy and Dalla were sitting at the end of the counter. They clasped hands on the counter, both with large smiles on their faces.

"Hey, I didn't know you two were still here," Kat said approaching.

Dalla beamed. "Billy had some other business to take care of this morning," she explained. The she produced a small slip of paper and held it out. "But we did go to the clinic this morning. It's confirmed! We're going to have a baby."

Kat couldn't help but smile back. "That's great. Congratulations! And to celebrate, smoothies are on the house."

"Oh, Kat, you don't have to do that," Billy protested.

"I want to," she said. "It's the least I can do."

"Thank you, Katherine." Billy's smile was all the payment she needed, and she took their drink orders quickly then headed to prepare them.

The kitchen doors opened as she was finishing and Jason appeared. He beamed at her and stopped as he passed just long enough to give her a kiss on the cheek before continuing to the counter. She heard him greet Billy and Dalla and then everything became quiet.

"Hello, Mr. Scott," a familiar voice said. Kat turned and saw Mr. Stanley at the counter. "I was happy to hear from you this morning."

Jason was a rock. He simply nodded. "I just want to get this over with," he said. "Why don't we go in the office?"

Then something odd happened, Stanley gave a nervous glance to his right then back at Jason. "Mr Scott, you do realize you'll still be the manager here. You'll be free to run this place as you see fit."

Jason shook his head. "No," he said. "I can't do that. Your boss is going to want changes, and if I can't deliver a profit I'm out anyway. I don't want it. Just take the place, tell your boss he can find a better patsy."

"Mr. Scott…." Again Stanley looked to his right. What an odd gesture. Kat stepped up and put a hand on Jason's back. His muscles were so tense she may as well have been touching the marble counters.

"Jason, it's not like that."

Jason and Kat both jumped at Billy's voice. Billy was standing now and looking Jason straight in the eye, despite still being at least four inches shorter.

"I didn't buy your loan to take the Youth Center away from you. I'm investing in it, in you and Kat."

Kat felt her knees wobble from the shock. For an eternity no one spoke. Jason was the first to recover his voice.

"Yo-you bought my loan? How…? Why did you do that Billy?"

"Because I didn't think you'd accept the help if I just offered it," Billy responded. "And because I wanted it to be a true investment. I'm not doing this just as a friend. I believe you can turn this place around. But I won't do it if you're not going to be part of the deal. Will you please stay and let me help you?"

"But…what about the money? You have a baby on the way, you can't!"

Billy just shook his head. "I told you, it's an investment," Billy said. "You'll have six months to start making a profit. If you do, you'll pay on the loan, just under my terms, if not, you can back out and I'll sell the place myself. Either way I'll get something out of it."

Jason turned and looked at Kat. "What do you think?"

Kat wasn't sure what to say. They had decided this last night. She had been happy with leaving it all behind, getting a fresh start, and yet….

"Is this still what you want?" she asked.

The edges of Jason's lips twitched up just a bit. "Yes…" he said cautiously.

"Then do it."

A full fledged smile came over Jason's face. He turned back to Stanley and Billy, his voice bursting with excitement. "What do I do?"

Kat stood by the counter as Jason, Billy and Mr. Stanley went over the paperwork. When the last papers were signed Jason picked her up and spun her around before pulling her into a full kiss and she couldn't remember feeling more free.

**Alright guys, only one more chapter till the end. Things are heating up. See you all at the end. As always, all reviews are welcome!**


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